Defending champion Jannik Sinner has progressed to the last 16 of the Cincinnati Open, winning against Canada’s Gabriel Diallo with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (8-6). This match marks Sinner’s first tournament since claiming his fourth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. As the world No. 1, he is now shifting focus towards his title defense at the upcoming US Open.
Sinner faced challenges throughout the second set, where Diallo, ranked No. 35, even held a set point at 6-5 in the tie-breaker. The match was initially delayed due to a power outage at the venue, which lasted for 75 minutes. Play was briefly halted again during the second set when a fire alarm sounded in the 1899 Club Grandstand. Despite these interruptions, Sinner extended his winning streak on hard courts to 22 matches, setting up a future clash against French qualifier Adrian Mannarino, who defeated 13th seed Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
Reflecting on his performance, the reigning Australian Open champion stated, “I feel like today was a very difficult day at the office. He was serving very well, especially in the second set. Against big servers, you always have to find the right balance at the back of the court. Today I struggled a bit at times. But still very happy. I need these tough matches… Getting used to very difficult situations. I’m very happy this happened before a Grand Slam.” Sinner has not lost on hard courts since his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the Beijing final last October.
In other matches at the Cincinnati Open, fourth seed Taylor Fritz also advanced, overcoming Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego with a scoreline of 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 after the power outage. The 27-year-old American did not encounter a single break point and capitalized on his only break opportunity to secure the match.
Additional results included Benjamin Bonzi defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7 (7-4), 6-3, 6-4, while 10th seed Frances Tiafoe triumphed over Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-4. Seventh seed Holger Rune also succeeded, beating 28th seed Alex Michelsen 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. Other players, including Felix Auger-Aliassime and Terence Atmane, notched wins as the tournament progresses.
As Sinner prepares for his next match, the anticipation builds for his performance at the US Open, where he will aim to defend his title amidst a competitive field.
