5 storylines to follow at the 2024 Cincinnati Open tennis tournament

Posted by Admin August 8, 2024 Tennis

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The Cincinnati Open is celebrating its 125th anniversary this summer and its 45th year in Mason, Ohio when the tournament opens play on Sunday, Aug. 11 from the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

This year’s preliminary field features eight former Cincinnati Open champions, each player in the top 40 of the world rankings and over 100 players who were recently in action in the Paris Olympics.

Here are five storylines to watch for in Mason.

1. Will there be another Alcaraz-Djokovic showdown?

Last summer, fans were treated to what was instantly called one of the best matches ever when Novak Djokovic beat then-World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the longest match in Cincinnati Open history (3 hours, 49 minutes) to claim the Rookwood Cup.

It was a rematch from Wimbledon in 2023 (won by Alcaraz) and the two have battled three times since leaving Cincinnati. Djokovic won 6-3, 6-2 over Alcaraz in the Nitto ATP Finals in November, Alcaraz got his revenge with a three-set win at Wimbledon in July, then Djokovic captured a Gold Medal with a three-set win on Aug. 4.

Djokovic now hold a 4-3 all-time record against Alcaraz and Cincinnati could be the setting for the third matchup in the last month.

2. Coco Gauff returns to defend title

Speaking of former champions, Coco Gauff made history in her last trip to Cincinnati, becoming the first teenager to win five career titles in 14 years. Gauff notched the biggest victory of her career when she hoisted the Rookwood Cup in 2023 as the first teenager to win the event since 1968.

Gauff (No. 2) is now entering her 100th consecutive week in the WTA Top 10 and she will begin play in the Canadian Open on Thursday. The 20-year-old heads to Mason looking to become the first back-to-back women’s singles champion since Serena Williams (2014-15).

3. There’s a new No. 1

With the drama surrounding the Djokovic-Alcaraz instant classic, you may have forgotten about Jannik Sinner. The Italian was ranked No. 6 in last year’s Cincinnati Open and was bounced in the Round of 32. Since then, though, Sinner has ascended to the top of men’s tennis, claiming the No. 1 spot in June.

The 22-year-old is 42-4 in singles matches this year with four titles, including the Australian Open and Miami, an ATP Masters 1000 event. Sinner will attempt to make noise in Cincinnati for the first time in his career. He’s 3-3 all-time in the Cincinnati Open with one Round of 16 appearance (2022).

4. WTA No. 1 Swiatek coming off Bronze Medal win

Iga Swiatek was the top-ranked player in WTA for 75 weeks before Aryna Sabalenka took the throne just a few weeks after the 2023 Cincinnati Open. It took less than two months for Swiatek to reclaim No. 1, a spot she’s retained for 40 weeks.

Swiatek is coming off a Bronze Medal in the Paris Olympics and a Round of 32 loss at Wimbledon. Prior to that, she was untouchable with titles at Roland Garros, the Italian Open and Mutua Madrid Open.

Swiatek defeated Sabalenka in the Madrid and Italy finals and fans will certainly look to see if their paths will cross for the third time this year.

5. Cincinnati natives Stearns, Wolf in action

In May, Cincinnati native Peyton Stearns broke through in the Morocco Open in Rabat with her first career WTA singles title. Stearns, the World No. 53, will try to make noise in her hometown tournament. On the singles side, Stearns has never made it past the Round of 64 in the Cincinnati Open.

She reached the Round of 16 in the doubles draw last summer. The 2022 NCAA National Champion at Texas earned a main draw wild card.

JJ Wolf, a Cincinnati Country Day graduate, received a qualifying wild card spot. Wolf, now ranked No. 162, is still looking for his first main draw victory in Cincinnati (0-3).