Cincinnati Open opens with star-studded draw, uncertainty over Sinner's presence

The 2026 Cincinnati Open, running from August 8 to 23 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, opened its draw with the announced participation of ten former tournament champions. Among the names confirmed by organizers are Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, a list that makes this edition one of the most competitive on the tour in recent years.

“We are happy to welcome the world’s best players once again” — Bob Moran, Cincinnati Open tournament director

The presence on court of Sinner, however, remains in doubt. The current ATP world number 1, with six titles won in 2026, has returned to Italy for medical checks, and his participation in the U.S. tournament is not currently confirmed. Neither the nature of the checks nor a timeline for the final announcement has been made public, an uncertainty organizers will have to manage in the coming weeks ahead of the official finalization of the main draw.

The Cincinnati Open draw nevertheless reflects the global geography of the tour, regardless of the outcome of the Sinner case: from Swiatek’s Poland to Sabalenka’s Belarus, from Gauff’s United States to Alcaraz’s Spain, from Djokovic’s Serbia to Sinner’s own Italy. It is a group of players who, between Grand Slam titles and ranking records, represent the current peak of world tennis in both the men’s and women’s game.

Any potential withdrawal by the world number 1 for health reasons would, for now, remain the only significant unknown surrounding an event that already has confirmed participation from all the other protagonists named by organizers. The Cincinnati tournament traditionally represents one of the last preparation events before the US Open, and the presence or absence of the main contenders for the New York title is watched with particular attention by industry insiders.