Scouting Report: Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev headline Cincinnati

The North American hard-court swing continues at the Cincinnati Open, where Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev lead the field at the seventh ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul lead American hopes, while former champions Daniil Medvedev and Grigor Dimitrov also return to the Lindner Family Tennis Center. ATPTour.com looks at 10 storylines to watch over the coming week.

1) Sinner leads the field: Sinner struggled with a right-hip injury during his quarter-final loss to Andrey Rublev in Montreal but will lead the field as the top seed in Cincinnati. The Italian has won four tour-level titles this year, including on hard courts at the Australian Open and in Miami and Rotterdam.

2) Alcaraz returns to hard courts: Alcaraz will compete on hard courts for the first time since he reached the quarter-finals in Miami in March. The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has won majors at Roland Garros and Wimbledon since and begins in Cincinnati against Alexei Popyrin or Gael Monfils.

3) Former champions Medvedev & Zverev: Medvedev and Zverev have fond memories in Cincinnati. Fourth seed Medvedev won the title in 2019 and arrives holding an 18-5 hard-court record this year. Zverev, who advanced to the quarters in Montreal, triumphed in 2021 in Cincinnati.

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4) Top 10 stars in action: Andrey Rublev arrives in Cincinnati having enjoyed a deep run in Montreal. The 26-year-old won an ATP Masters 1000 crown in Madrid earlier this year. Hubert Hurkacz returned from injury in Montreal and the fifth seed will play a qualifier or Miomir Kecmanovic in his opening match in Ohio. Casper Ruud’s best result on hard courts this year was a final run in Acapulco. Seeded seventh, he will play Felix Auger-Aliassime or a qualifier in his opening match. Auger-Aliassime defeated Ruud at the Paris Olympics earlier this month.

5) Race To Turin heats up: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Fritz, Paul and Dimitrov are ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively, in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. All four Nitto ATP Finals hopefuls will be aiming for deep runs to overtake eighth-placed Andrey Rublev and seventh-placed Alex de Minaur, who is injured and has not played since Wimbledon.

6) Seven Americans in the draw: Alongside Fritz and Paul, there are seven Americans in the draw, excluding qualifiers. Sebastian Korda is still alive in Montreal, where he is in the semi-finals. Former US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe opens against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, while 21-year-old Ben Shelton takes on countryman Reilly Opelka in his opening match. The 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Brandon Nakashima has received a wild card and faces Fritz. Marcos Giron opens against Sebastian Baez.

7) #NextGenATP Frenchman Fils: Hamburg champion Arthur Fils looks to consolidate his substantial lead in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. The two-time tour-level titlist is aiming for a return trip to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 18-22 December.

8) Unseeded surprise in Cincy?: Two years ago, then-World No. 152 Borna Coric became the lowest-ranked champion in ATP Masters 1000 history when he lifted the trophy in Cincinnati to win his maiden title at this level. Can unseeded hopes Matteo Berrettini, Karen Khachanov, Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jack Draper follow in Coric’s path?

9) Granollers/Zeballos top seeds: Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos won in Cincinnati in 2021 and will aim to add to the Rome title they won as a team earlier this year. Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden are the second seeds, while Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni are the defending champs. Singles stars Zverev, Tsitsipas, Shelton and Holger Rune compete.

10) Cincinnati celebrates 125 years: The Cincinnati Open is celebrating its 125th year. Founded in 1899, the tournament is planning for the future with $260 million being invested toward on-site improvements as the event prepares for an expanded player field and increased number of days beginning in 2025. Swiss legend Roger Federer has won the singles title a record seven times, with Boris Becker (17) the youngest champion in tournament history.