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Frances Tiafoe reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final in dramatic fashion on Sunday at the Cincinnati Open.

The American rallied from a 2-5 deficit in the third set of his semi-final against Holger Rune and saved two match points on serve at 4-5 before rallying past the 15th seed 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4). Tiafoe will face Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, on Monday for the trophy.

“Crazy, crazy. That last set was nuts,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “It got pretty breezy there at the end so we were kind of just playing the percentages. But yeah, I got really lucky there. I had a couple net cords, but I also battled. I competed really hard and put myself in position.”

? The dream is still alive ?@FTiafoe takes out Rune with a 4-6 6-1 7-6 win to face Sinner in the #CincyTennis final!@CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/v1Ip4lREMk

Tiafoe began the week with a 19-18 record on the season. But he has found form in a big way under the tutelage of new coach David Witt, becoming the first American to reach the Cincinnati final since John Isner in 2013.

In the second round of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, top seed Roger Federer played an opponent, Rafael Arevalo, who had never cracked the Top 400 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The 22-year-old from El Salvador, not known for its tennis history, would never climb higher than World No. 374.

But that match proved a launching pad for the standout career of another Salvadoran: Rafael’s younger brother, Marcelo Arevalo, who will partner Mate Pavic in the Cincinnati Open final on Monday against Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen.

“It was like a dream because my brother was at home, and then a few days later, I was watching my brother on TV against Federer, who at that point was dominating everybody. He still was number one in the world. It was crazy,” Arevalo told ATPTour.com. “Seeing my brother playing against Federer, and coming from the same house, the same family, that's when it kind of hit me, and I said, ‘You know what, I can also become good. If my brother is there, then I can be like my brother’. And that's when I actually started taking tennis more seriously.”

Tennis was a family affair for the Arevalo's. They belonged to a beach club in their hometown of Sonsonate, which had two hard tennis courts.

“I was always [playing] against the wall. I was always with my racquet and one tennis ball and playing on the wall. And then my dad, after a long day, he would play with me,” Arevalo said. “It was crazy, because most of the people would go to the beach club to spend time at the beach. [They would] go to the beach and just be in front of the beach, jump in the water, come back, jump in the water again when they get hot, whatever. But we were spending basically the whole Saturday or Sunday at the tennis court, which was on the opposite side of the beach.”

Will this be the year Borna Coric emerges victorious at the Winston-Salem Open? The former No. 12 player in the PIF ATP Rankings made a good start towards that goal on Sunday.

Coric defeated Sumit Nagal 6-4, 6-2 in 70 minutes to reach the second round of the ATP 250 event. The Croatian is now 8-3 at the tournament, including a semi-final showing last year.

“I like the fast conditions, and obviously, also during the day, it's actually much quicker than when I play at night,” Coric said in his on-court interview. “But I like the city as well. It's obviously very calm and before I go to New York, I need some calm, so that's very good.”

After breaking to open the second set, Coric lost his serve in the next game. But the three-time ATP Tour titlist remained undeterred, claiming 89 per cent of his first-serve points and breaking Nagal’s serve four times to move on.

“I knew obviously I didn't need to panic, because it was still one-all, and I just stayed calm,” Coric said. “I was feeling very good on the court today, so I knew I just needed to be patient and my time would come.”

Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev on Sunday in a thrilling Cincinnati Open semi-final in which the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings showed both his skill and heart.

Despite limping at times and favouring his hip, which has plagued him recently, the Italian produced stunning shotmaking to oust the 2021 Cincinnati champion 7-6(9), 5-7, 7-6(4) in three hours and seven minutes. The top seed will play home favourite Frances Tiafoe in Monday evening’s championship match.

“Sometimes you have to play a bit with the gut feeling. And I think this today was, my strength,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “[There were] some up and downs, which can happen, especially when you play [for] more than three hours. It was a good match, I think for both of us. He served very, very well, so I can be very proud.”

JANNIK SINNER SURVIVES ?@janniksin is into his first #CincyTennis final after defeating Zverev in a 3-set thriller!@CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/KnlPx7Wmhx

When Sinner was unable to find a way to close out the match in straight sets and the Italian showed signs of increasing discomfort in his hip, it seemed the consistent Zverev was well-positioned to move within a victory of his second title at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

Joao Fonseca and Luca Van Assche are among the #NextGenATP stars who will compete in US Open qualifying, which begins Monday in New York.

Fonseca, who won the boys’ singles title at Flushing Meadows one year ago, will try to qualify for his first main draw at a major. The Brazilian, who turns 18 on Wednesday, played qualifying at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at Wimbledon, where he lost in the first round in a final-set tie-break.

The teen will take on ninth seed Lukas Klein in the first round in New York. Fonseca will take confidence from claiming his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Lexington just three weeks ago.

Van Assche, a 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF semi-finalist, will open his campaign against former Top 20 star Pablo Cuevas. 

View Qualifying Draw

Millions of tennis fans around the world will tune in for the final Grand Slam action of the 2024 season at the US Open, with the main draw to be held from 26 August to 8 September.

The hard-court event, which takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, will feature the ATP Tour’s top stars including the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner, defending champion Novak Djokovic, and Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Select Broadcasters Of The 2024 US Open
United States: ESPN
United Kingdom: Sky Sports
Spain: Telefonica/Movistar
Italy: SuperTennis
Austria/Germany/Switzerland: Sport Deutschland TV
Europe (47 other countries/territories): Eurosport

Click here for a full list of international broadcasters of the 2024 US Open.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

The Cincinnati Open this year celebrated its 125th anniversary. That means there were plenty of past champions for our latest ‘Test The Tour’ contestants to choose from as they tried to name a men's singles champion from each of the past six decades at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov and Felix Auger-Aliassime all sat down to try and seal a pop quiz win in Cincy. While titlists from the 2000s onwards proved naturally proved easier for the participating stars to recall, there was some real uncertainty when it came to earlier eras: “He never won?”, "Oh, wait”, and “I need a call!” were some of the initial reactions from the players.

Despite those difficulties, one ATP star rose to the top with a flawless performance in the Cincinnati quiz. Check out the video below to find out who.

Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen delivered a stunning semi-final upset to kick-start Sunday’s action at the Cincinnati Open.

The wild cards downed top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6(8), 7-6(9) after a tense rain-interrupted clash at the ATP Masters 1000 in Ohio. McDonald and Michelsen saved two set points in both tie-breaks before wrapping a two-hour, 14-minute triumph in front of their home fans.

Granollers and Zeballos are the joint-No. 1s in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings and also the leading team in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. Yet they could do nothing to stop their American oppponents, who saved four of five break points they faced and won 80 per cent (49/61) of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Around the net MADNESS ?@mackiemacster | @CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/a99o1HuG3d

McDonald and Michelsen have proven clutch competitors in tight situations this week in Ohio, where they edged Holger Rune/Stefanos Tsitsipas in a Match Tie-break in their opening match, before doing the same to third seeds Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury in the quarter-finals. The pair is bidding to become the first all-American team to triumph in Cincinnati since Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan in 2014.

Play has resumed on semi-final day at the Cincinnati Open, where players returned to court shortly after 4 p.m. local time (EDT) at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Sunday’s schedule in Ohio features both semi-finals in the men’s singles draw, with top seed and No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner set to take on Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster opening last-four clash. The pair will take to Cincinnati’s centre court after the conclusion of the second women’s singles semi-final between Jessica Pegula and Paula Badosa, which is currently into a deciding set.

Home hope Frances Tiafoe takes on 15th seed Holger Rune in the other men’s singles semi-final, a match which remains schedule for not before 6 p.m. local time. In the men's doubles, Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen returned to court after the rain leading top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6(8), 5-6 on P&G Grandstand.

Later, fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic will play Ivan Dodig and Jamie Murray in the second semi-final.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

The US Open is one of the four Grand Slams and is set to host the best players in the world for two weeks of the 2024 season. Among those in action will be four-time winner Novak Djokovic, 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner, who sits at the peak of the PIF ATP Rankings.

Here’s what you need to know about the fourth Grand Slam of the year:

When is the US Open?
The US Open will run for two weeks, from 26 August to 8 September. The hard-court tournament first began in Newport in 1881, but has since moved to New York. Flushing Meadows is now the iconic site of the tournament and one of the most famous grounds in world tennis. The tournament director is Stacey Allaster.

Who is playing at the US Open?
Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner are the top contenders for the title this year. Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz are also set to compete.

When is the draw for the US Open?
The US Open draw for the men’s singles will be made on Thursday, 22 August at 12 p.m. The draw for the men’s doubles will be made on Sunday, 25 August at 12 p.m.

Former World No. 4 Holger Rune is within reach of his first ATP Tour final since the first week of the season after blunting the big-serving game of Jack Draper in the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals Saturday night.

Rune converted all three break point chances he earned and refused to surrender his own serve despite coming under sustained attack in the second set before closing out a 6-4, 6-2 victory in one hour, 15 minutes in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Draper.

“I said after the first round that I would need to get better to go deep and here I am playing some very, very good tennis," Rune beamed. "It’s just about the process and I’ve been working hard from the first match.

“The scoreboard was not really how it felt out there,” added Rune, who had not won a match at the Lindner Family Tennis Center before this week. “I had to play some very aggressive tennis because Jack was going after it, especially in the second set. But I managed to stay tough and raise my level as well, so it was a great match from my side.”

The 21-year-old moved up to No. 15 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings with the win as he reached his fourth ATP Masters 1000 semi-final (first on an outdoor hard court).

Frances Tiafoe is through to the Cincinnati Open semi-finals after Hubert Hurkacz retired with a calf injury when the American took the first set 6-3.

Playing just his second tournament since undergoing surgery on 15 July on his meniscus, Hurkacz never looked comfortable in his movement on Grandstand and made an unusual 11 unforced errors to Tiafoe’s two.

On Sunday Tiafoe will play the winner of tonight’s clash between Holger Rune and Jack Draper.

Tiafoe registered his 200th career win according to Infosys ATP Match Stats.

“After 2-all I felt he was a little off,” Tiafoe said. “He came back pretty quick [from the surgery] and to make two quarter-finals [in Montreal and Cincinnati] shows what a great player he is. I hope he'll be right for the Open.

Alexander Zverev survived a tough test from home favourite Ben Shelton and multiple rain delays on Saturday at the Cincinnati Open, where he earned a dramatic 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 win to reach the semi-finals in Ohio for the third consecutive time.

In front of a vocal crowd, the German withstood an attacking display from American Shelton and raised his level when required to clinch victory in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, which was twice interrupted due to rain in the third set.

[ATP APP]

"It was very difficult in the windy conditions when you don't have any rhythm, and when someone's serving like he does, it's really tough to get into the games,” Zverev said. “The first set and a half I had no idea what I was doing, so I'm very happy I got there in the end.

"To be interrupted twice by rain in the third set, once at 3-4 and once at 4-5, with me serving both times, that isn't easy. You want to be in a rhythm and that takes you out of your comfort zone.”

Jannik Sinner overcame brutally windy conditions and Andrey Rublev on Saturday at the Cincinnati Open, where he earned a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 win to reach the semi-finals and gain revenge against the sixth seed.

The Italian fell to Rublev in three sets in the quarter-finals in Montreal last week and for large periods in Ohio, the World No. 1 looked in trouble again. In windy conditions, Sinner was pushed to the floor by the wind at times but dug deep and improved as the match went on to earn a tough victory. He crucially saved two break points on serve at 3-4 in the second set before he fended off a mini revival from Rublev in the decider to improve to 6-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

"It took a lot of mental strength today," said Sinner, who committed 44 unforced errors, largely due to the wind. "It was very tough conditions, very windy. In the first set he started very well and I didn't play my best tennis but in the second set, I felt I had a lot of chances. I waited for my chance. I am very happy to make the semis."

Sinner is chasing his third ATP Masters 1000 title and first trophy since winning the ATP 500 in Halle on grass in June. Now 46-5 on the season, the top seed will next face Alexander Zverev or Ben Shelton in his ninth Masters 1000 semi-final and first in Cincinnati.

In a tight clash, Rublev was the more consistent in the first set, breaking Sinner’s serve twice to lead. However, the 23-year-old turned the tables in the second set, striking 17 winners compared to just two from Rublev, who also committed 20 unforced errors in the set, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos continued their quest to complete the Canada-Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 double on Saturday at the Cincinnati Open when they moved past Neal Skupski and Michael Venus 6-4. 6-4.

The top seeds triumphed in Montreal last week and have now won their past seven matches. The Spanish-Argentine team clinched 77 per cent (30/39) of their first-serve points to advance after 79 minutes and set a semi-final meeting with Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen.

Granollers and Zeballos are chasing their second title in Ohio, having won at the hard-court event in 2021.

In other action, Ivan Dodig and Jamie Murray clawed past Arthur Fils and Nicolas Jarry 2-6, 7-6(5), 10-6. Dodig and Murray are teaming for just the second time and first time since 2021. They have won 56 titles between them.

The Croatian-Briton team will meet Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the last four. Arevalo and Pavic eliminated Wimbledon champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten 6-2, 6-4. Arevalo and Pavic are currently second in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings and in a good position to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

The North American hard-court swing continues this week at the Winston-Salem Open, where Sebastian Baez will be the top seed for his title defence. The Argentine will face stiff competition from the likes of Francisco Cerundolo and 2022 champion Adrian Mannarino.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch in Winston-Salem.

1) Defending champ Baez: The 23-year-old Argentine won his first tour-level title on hard courts last year in Winston-Salem, winning four three-setters on his run. Baez has backed that up with clay trophies in Rio de Janeiro and Santiago this year, with five of his six ATP Tour crowns coming on that surface. He will bid to improve upon his 4-6 hard-court record this season after a second-round exit at the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000.

Baez will be joined in Winston-Salem by fellow Argentines Cerundolo, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Mariano Navone and Federico Coria, with Cerundolo receiving a wild card into the singles draw.

2) Former champ Mannarino: After rising to a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of No. 17 at the start of 2024, Mannarino has struggled to an 8-22 record this season. The 36-year-old Frenchman will hope memories of his 2022 title run in Winston-Salem — when he won 11 consecutive sets — can spark a resurgence of form. 

Carlos Alcaraz has issued a public apology for his rare show of frustration during his opening-round loss at the Cincinnati Open Friday.

The World No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings broke his racquet after repeatedly smashing it into the court early in the third set of his surprise loss to French veteran Gael Monfils.

The 21-year-old took to social media on Saturday to reflect on his behaviour.

"I apologise because my attitude yesterday was not correct and it is something that should not be done on the track," Alcaraz wrote on X. "I am human, I had a lot of nerves inside and sometimes it is very difficult to control yourself when your heart rate is so high. I will work so that it does not happen again. Time to think about NYC!"

Pido perdón porque mi actitud de ayer no fue correcta y es algo que no debería hacerse dentro de una pista. Soy humano, tenía acumulación de nervios dentro y a veces es muy complicado controlarse cuando estás con las pulsaciones tan altas. Trabajaré para que no vuelva a… pic.twitter.com/YR0dRJhTxX

Cameron Norrie announced on Friday his withdrawal from the 2024 US Open due to a forearm injury.

The Brit, who sits at No. 47 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has not played since mid-July at the Nordea Open in Bastad, where he lost to Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in Nadal’s first event back from injury.

The British No. 2 missed representing Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympics due to the injury.

Play has started at the Cincinnati Open on Friday after rain caused a one-hour, 20-minute delay.

The action began at 12:20 p.m. local time, with WTA star Iga Swiatek opening play on center court against Marta Kostyuk. Carlos Alcaraz will resume his match against Gael Monfils following Swiatek. The Spaniard led the Frenchman 6-4, 6-6(1-3) when play was cancelled on Thursday night due to rain.

No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner will then take on Australian Jordan Thompson in the third round. If Alcaraz overcomes Monfils, he is scheduled to face Holger Rune later on Friday afternoon.

Alexander Zverev has opened proceedings on P&G Grandstand against Pablo Carreno Busta, while Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud and Ben Shelton are all scheduled to compete on Stadium 3. Rublev plays Brandon Nakashima, Ruud takes on Felix Auger-Aliassime and Shelton meets Fabian Marozsan.

ORDER OF PLAY - FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2024
CENTER COURT start 12:00 pm
WTA - [1] I. Swiatek (POL) vs [15] M. Kostyuk (UKR)

Not Before 12:30 pm
Second Round - ATP - G. Monfils (FRA) vs [2] C. Alcaraz (ESP) 46 66
Third Round - ATP - [1] J. Sinner (ITA) vs J. Thompson (AUS)

Not Before 3:00 pm
Third Round - After Suitable Rest - ATP - [15] H. Rune (DEN) vs G. Monfils (FRA) or [2] C. Alcaraz (ESP)
WTA MATCH
Third Round - ATP - F. Tiafoe (USA) vs J. Lehecka (CZE)

Frances Tiafoe survived a late-night scare from Jiri Lehecka at the Cincinnati Open, where the American prevailed 6-4, 6-7(10), 7-6(5) after converting his sixth match point on Friday.

The home favourite let slip three match points in the second-set tie-break and then held a 5-2 lead in the final set. But Lehecka, who was competing this week for the first time since retiring in the Madrid semi-finals due to a back injury, won three consecutive games and eventually forced a deciding-set tie-break.

Tiafoe, who trailed by a mini-break at 2/4 in the third-set tie-break, let out a sigh of relief after clinching the match and wrote, 'Whatever it takes' on the camera lens. He advanced to the quarter-finals after two hours, 52 minutes.

The 26-year-old found an advantage in forehand-to-forehand rallies to remain the more consistent from the baseline. Tiafoe committed 34 unforced errors to Lehecka's 59, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The three-time tour-level titlist overcame the Czech's 24 aces and will next meet another big server, Hubert Hurkacz, in the last eight.

Lehecka, 22, was aiming to build upon his second-round upset against fourth seed Daniil Medvedev.