Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the last two winners of the Cincinnati Open and the best two male players on the planet, are both sidelined through injury, giving the chasing pack a rare opportunity to make their presence felt at the ATP Cincinnati Open.
Alcaraz defeated fierce rival Sinner in last season's final at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. However, the super Spaniard remains out with a wrist injury, something which could also rule him out of the US Open.
Sinner claimed the Cincinnati crown in 2024 but has not played since winning his fifth Grand Slam title against Alexander Zverev at Wimbledon, with a knee injury troubling the Italian.
That leaves Zverev, who lifted a belated Grand Slam title at the French Open earlier this season, as one of the leading contenders and he won this event in 2021, beating Andrey Rublev in the final.
Novak Djokovic is a three-time winner in Cincinnati, the latest of which came in victory over Alcaraz in 2023, and he has been resting up since losing to Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-final.
In-form American duo Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz come into the reckoning armed with home support, while Rafael Jodar, Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik are three rising stars that will want to continue their upward trajectory.
ATP Cincinnati Open betting picks and predictions
Taylor Fritz to win ATP Cincinnati Open each-way (+900)
Tournament favourites Zverev and Djokovic are both housed in the top half of the draw and that could leave big-serving Fritz as the player to beat in the bottom bracket.
Fritz suffered a shock straight-sets defeat to Thiago Agustin Tirante in his opening match at the Canadian Open but that came just two days after he won silverware in Washington, so may be forgiven.
He overcame an impressive list of opponents in taking that title, seeing off Zizou Bergs, Kamil Majchrzak, Alex Michelsen, Brandon Nakashima and Jodar, and these quick conditions play to his strengths.
The Californian has made the quarter-finals in Cincinnati twice, doing so in 2022 and 2023, and he tends to come good at this stage of the season.
In the last three years, Fritz has finished runner-up at the US Open in between two quarter-final runs and he is always a force to be reckoned with on these quick hard courts, which suit his powerful serve and heavy forehand.
Felix Auger-Aliassime to win ATP Cincinnati Open each-way (+2200)
Auger-Aliassime elected not to play in his home tournament in Montreal, citing a back injury as the reason behind his withdrawal in Canada, but he has had a week to recover and is expected to take part in Cincinnati.
FAA insists that it is something that comes and goes, which offers encouragement ahead of the US Open, and he has landed in such a winnable draw that he is hard to ignore.
The second seed avoids Zverev or Djokovic until the final and with Frances Tiafoe struggling for form, Learner Tien looks the toughest test before the quarter-final.
Shelton could wait in the last eight but he has been kept busy, reaching the latter stages of the Canadian Open, so Auger-Aliassime may hold the aces.
Fritz would be a stern test in the semi-final but the Canadian has made the quarter-final in this tournament in three of the last five seasons.
A US Open semi-finalist last year, this terrain brings out the best in the world number four and he did make the last eight at Wimbledon when last in action.
Jakub Mensik to win ATP Cincinnati Open each-way (+2800)
Zverev may be the player to beat but Djokovic, now 39 years of age, could be vulnerable to younger legs in the second quarter and Mensik looks the man most likely to capitalise.
The Czech was a quarter-finalist in Montreal to show he remains in serious touch, and there are few concerns for him before a potential fourth-round clash with Djokovic.
Mensik has made huge strides in a short space of time and the 20-year-old got the better of Djokovic in the final of the Miami Open in 2025, showing he is not scared of mixing it with the elite.
Already a Grand Slam semi-finalist, Mensik has the world at his feet. He is completely versatile on any surface, making him a leading title contender in a tournament that looks more open with Alcaraz and Sinner being sidelined.
ATP Cincinnati Open odds
Players | Odds |
Alexander Zverev | +400 |
Novak Djokovic | +600 |
Ben Shelton | +700 |
Taylor Fritz | +900 |
Rafael Jodar | +1100 |
Daniil Medvedev | +1800 |
Felix Auger-Aliassime | +2200 |
Lorenzo Musetto | +2500 |
Joao Fonseca | +2500 |
Jakub Mensik | +2800 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
