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The serve was lights out.

Jannik Sinner defeated Frances Tiafoe 7-6(1), 6-2 in the final of the Cincinnati Open on Friday on the back of his strongest serving display of the tournament.

Tiafoe only won 11 return points for the match, with Sinner holding five of his 10 service games to love. Things might have trended in a different direction if Tiafoe had converted either of the two break points he held in the opening game when Sinner fell behind 15/40. But two return errors later, Sinner was out of an early hole, and his match-winning momentum had clicked into gear.

Tiafoe only won five return points against Sinner's first serve and six against his second, according to Infosys ATP Stats. On the other side of the net, Sinner won more than triple that amount, with 34 return points won. Fourteen were against first serves, and 20 were against second serves.

The real problem for Tiafoe was simply getting Sinner’s serves back in the court.

Jannik Sinner has shown the world the incredible tennis he is capable of. But it was grit and determination that he relied on to capture the Cincinnati Open title.

After battling through back-to-back three-setters against Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings surged past home favourite Frances Tiafoe 7-6(4), 6-2 on Monday evening to lift the trophy at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

“It was a very difficult week, tough week. I'm very happy about about today's match,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “It was very tough mentally. Had such an amazing run here, and I tried to do my best today. We both were quite tired from yesterday. We both felt a lot of tension, but I'm very glad about [the] level I played today, especially in the important moments.”

The 23-year-old overcame Tiafoe in one hour and 37 minutes to move to 15-4 in tour-level finals. He now owns an ATP Tour-leading five trophies this season following triumphs in Melbourne, Rotterdam, Miami and Halle, and is the only player to claim two ATP Masters 1000 crowns in 2024.

??????????? ?@janniksin is your 2024 Cincinnati Open CHAMPION ?@CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/fHpUu188Sn

Jannik Sinner has taken a sizable lead in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin by winning the Cincinnati Open, but the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours is far from over.

The 23-year-old is in pole position for the accolade with just three months remaining in the season. But with this year's Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz 1,440 points behind the Italian, there is still plenty to play for with the US Open coming up next week.

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

Sinner, who became the first player from his country to reach World No. 1 earlier this year, has given himself a cushion in the Live Race. If he reaches the semi-finals in New York, he will remain in first place regardless of any other player's performance at the season's final major.

What the Italian has done by winning Cincinnati has put pressure on Alcaraz and third-placed Alexander Zverev, who is 245 points behind him, to make a huge run at Flushing Meadows in an attempt to close the gap.

Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic charged into the ATP Masters 1000 winners' circle together in style on Monday at the Cincinnati Open.

The fourth-seeded duo eased past home favourites Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4 in the championship match in Ohio. Arevalo and Pavic did not face a break point and converted three of five of their own, according to Infosys ATP Stats, as they sealed their fourth tour-level title as a team in just 63 minutes.

? Cincinnati Doubles Champions! ?

No. 4 seeds Pavic and Arevalo defeat McDonald/Michelsen 6-2 6-4!@CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/OEcPhxLAJd

“It’s never easy in the finals, especially [against] those guys,” said Pavic. “They won a couple of great matches this week, they beat the number one seed, [who] for me at the moment are maybe in the best shape on tour, so they proved they can beat anybody in doubles. They are good singles guys, good players so it was not easy.

“It was a bit of a different matchup, we didn’t know what to expect, we didn’t seen them playing that much, compared to when we played the other doubles teams. We were playing smart, we were playing good [doubles] from the beginning and throughout the week we were playing some good tennis.”

#NextGen ATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche sailed past veteran Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 6-1 Monday to advance to the second round of qualifying at the US Open.

Eighteen years younger than his opponent, Van Assche converted five of 10 break points to dispatch the 38-year-old Uruguayan as he bids to make a second main draw appearance at Flushing Meadows, where he lost in the first round on debut last year.

The 20-year-old is currently No. 111 in the PIF ATP Rankings, having slipped from No. 65 a year ago. He is currently fifth in the PIF ATP Race to Jeddah as he aims to return to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF for the second consecutive year.

Van Assche led the French charge on Day 1 of qualifying, with Richard Gasquet, Lucas Pouille and Harold Mayot all advancing.

Gasquet hopes to make his 20th main draw appearance at Flushing Meadows this year. His best result came in 2013 when he reached the semi-finals, losing to Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

1. Origin of Tennis Tennis originated in France in the 12th century, known initially as "jeu de paume," meaning "game of the palm." It was played by striking the ball with the hand until rackets were introduced in the 16th century.2. The Longest Match EverThe longest tennis match in history was played at Wimbledon in 2010 between John Isner and Nic...

Top seed Roman Safiullin made a dramatic comeback Saturday at the Cary Tennis Classic, where he saved two championship points to claim his fifth ATP Challenger Tour title.

The 27-year-old escaped Mattia Bellucci 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the final, during which the Italian qualifier led 6-1, 4-1. Safiullin stared down two championship points on serve at 4-5 in the second set, but found a way to turn around the match and lift the trophy after two hours, 53 minutes. Appearing to fade physically in the latter stages, Safiullin let out a sigh of relief when he converted his eighth championship point.

“I just decided to put the ball back [in play], try to let him win it and he made some mistakes and I played some good balls. At the end of the match, I was able to turn it around,” Safiullin told commentator Rob Werner.

“It was super humid today. It was really tough with the conditions, but I’m happy that I managed it. It was a very good test for me ahead of New York, because New York is going to be similar conditions.”

Following his title run, Safiullin is up seven places to No. 57 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. He was playing just his fifth Challenger event since September 2022.

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.”