The main draw of the Cincinnati Open begins on Thursday, August 13, with finals set for Sunday, August 23. As most tennis fans know, the men's final will not feature either Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz. Both have withdrawn from the tournament with injuries.
Alcaraz suffered a wrist issue in the Barcelona Open in April and hasn't played in a tournament since. Sinner lost in the second round of the French Open, didn't play again until Wimbledon, which he won, but won't play again until at least the US Open as he has a knee problem.
This leaves the field open on the ATP side for players like Novak Djokovic. His winning the event would be fantastic for many tennis devotees.
Several guesses on what will happen at the 2026 Cincinnati Open
On the WTA side, many will be watching to see how Alex Eala does. The Filipina has an immense following, and her fans will be in strong numbers in Cincinnati. But will she win the event? Maybe not.
Arthur Fery gets bounced out in the third round
Fery has had an interesting year. He defeated Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the Australian Open, and he made the semifinals at Wimbledon. In between? Not so much. The truth is that he has limitations as a player, especially on hard courts, that will likely continue to be exposed by better players.
Because he is seeded 32 in Cincinnati, he has a bye in round one. He should be able to get by his second-round opponent too (either a qualifier or James Duckworth), but he will get squished by his likely third-round foe, Alex de Minaur.
Rain will delay the event by two full days
The Cincinnati Open has arguably the best facilities for a 1000 event after recent years of upgrades. The players' locker room and the fan area are elite. What the tournament can't control is the rain. It has been exceedingly hot in southern Ohio this summer, just like many other places, and storms are common.
Even in qualifying, rain delayed play. According to the Weather Channel, storms are likely on Friday, Saturday morning, and Monday. The guess here is that it rains more than expected and forces delays.
Alex Eala loses in the third round
This is meant as no disrespect to the Filipina. She is an ascending player who will continue to be dangerous at tournaments. The problem at the Cincinnati Open is that her draw is brutal. She only potentially gets a break in the second round, but the rest lines up as one difficult player after another.
In round three, Alexandra Eala will probably play Amanda Anisimova. If the American is on her game, her power will be too much for Eala on a hard court, especially as Eala's serve is one of her weaknesses. Maybe it will go three sets, or Anisimova might make the match dusted and done in two quick sets.
Rafael Jodar will win on the ATP side
Jodar's rise up the ATP rankings has been truly unbelievable and historic, but he has earned everything. He is still only 19 years old, and he is bound to make mistakes, but he has no real weaknesses. His return skills are already immense. If he tightens his serve a bit more, he will be a long-term top-five player.
In fact, he might be the third of the next Big 3 in men's tennis, the other two being Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, of course. In the final, he will defeat Taylor Fritz in three sets after beating Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.
Aryna Sabalenka will win on the WTA side
The current WTA No. 1 needs to start winning again. She has three titles this year, but no majors, and her last tournament victory came at the Miami Open. Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina has been tightening her rankings lead throughout the year. Rybakina could overtake her in Cincy.
That won't happen is the guess here. Sabalenka, who won the Cincinnati Open in 2024, will defeat Mirra Andreeva in the final in three sets, after losing set one. This should set the Belarusian up for another deep run at the US Open.
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