Sinner, Alcaraz heat up Cincinnati Open as $250M stadium makeover causes a stir

If World No 1 and 2, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, are raising adrenaline levels at the Cincinnati Open – their first official ATP foray since Wimbledon – then the venue itself is also causing a stir.

A $250 million refurbishment has added more courts and locker rooms, extended workout areas and dining lounges, and enhanced fan experiences.

Former WTA No 30 Shelby Rogers, who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, observed that “players spend the majority of their time waiting to go on court, and quiet, comfortable space in which to do so comes at a premium.” Clearly, tennis in the Midwest is no longer a parochial affair, and Ben Navarro – father of World No 11 Emma Navarro, who is partnering Sinner in the upcoming US Open mixed doubles event – has been a major force in funding this stadium’s facelift.

America’s top dogs are clamouring to play. Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, who went at each other hammer and tongs in the recent Toronto semi-finals (with Shelton going on to win the title and his first Masters 1000), are in red-hot form.

Although Fritz finds himself in the same half of the draw as Sinner – his co-finalist at the 2024 US Open – Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul are also in the 'Cincy' lineup. Tiafoe made his maiden final here last year, while Paul, sidelined through injury since Wimbledon, may be feeling more like the Tin Man than the Lion on his return to 'Ohio Oz'.

Toronto top seed and semi-finalist Alexander Zverev is climbing out of his Wimbledon slump and considers Cincinnati a happy hunting ground, having lifted the title in 2021. That said, facing veteran Gaël Monfils in the Frenchman’s swan song and opening match is no slam dunk.

Lower down the ladder, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas – now ranked No 15 and 30 respectively – are desperately trying to salvage pride and regain superior rankings in the build-up to the US Open.

The fact that top 10 players Jack Draper and Novak Djokovic, as well as former finalist and firecracker Nick Kyrgios, have withdrawn from this Cincinnati Masters 1000 will provide the Russian and Greek stars with a wider margin to penetrate their respective sides of the draw.

Djokovic is looking a less likely prospect – let alone contender – for the forthcoming US Open, with what will amount to zero match practice since Wimbledon. A handful of ferocious teenagers – João Fonseca, Jakub Mensik, and Learner Tien – all making their debuts in Ohio, will be aiming to improve on their lacklustre performances at the Canadian Open.

Admittedly, conditions and variations in the types of balls used made life difficult for emerging talent as well as elite players.

One ferocious teenager not participating in Cincinnati – after dramatically trouncing World No 3 Coco Gauff and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in Montreal, before making history by fighting back from a set down to defeat former World No 1 Naomi Osaka (2-6, 7-5, 6-2) – is the marvellous Victoria Mboko. She became only the third Canadian in the Open Era to win the Canada Open. Whether Mboko can recover in time to steal more limelight at Flushing Meadows – a far more hostile environment – remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Osaka elevated herself as both a Cincinnati and US Open threat by defeating feisty Danish No 1 Clara Tauson 6-2, 7-6 (9-7) in Montreal, reaching her first WTA final in three years.

Hopefully, Kyrgios, Osaka’s mixed doubles partner at the US Open, will not withdraw and let her down in that tantalising event. The duo should be a force to be reckoned with among the star – or should that be starry-eyed – lineup, with a cool $1 million at stake.