Day Five in Cincinnati completed the top half of the Round of 32, with Alexander Zverev surviving another stern examination, Rafael Jódar continuing his terrific form and Thiago Agustín Tirante proving his upset of Novak Djokovic was no one-off.
While the top seed remains alive, several matches were far tighter than the scorelines suggest, with Arthur Fils, Flavio Cobolli and Alex de Minaur all forced to dig deep before reaching the last 16.
Zverev is still searching for his best tennis, while Jódar and Tirante continue to play with the freedom and confidence that have made them two of the standout performers of the North American hard-court swing.
Meanwhile, the bottom half of the draw returns on Day Six, headlined by Daniil Medvedev against Brandon Nakashima, Taylor Fritz taking on the in-form Daniel Mérida, and Félix Auger-Aliassime looking to continue his comeback against Juan Manuel Cerúndolo.
Day Five Cincinnati Open Round of 32 Results
Key Match Recap
Thiago Agustín Tirante def. Martín Landaluce 7-6(5), 7-6(4)
Thiago Agustín Tirante backed up his win over Novak Djokovic with another composed performance, edging Martín Landaluce in two tight tie-breaks.
Both players had chances in a high-quality baseline battle, but Tirante was the steadier competitor when the pressure was on, and the Argentine has put together an impressive US Open series.
Rafael Jódar def. Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 6-1
Rafael Jódar produced a bit of a demolition job, taking apart Alejandro Tabilo in just 75 minutes.
Given his Montreal run and his match-point-saving win against Denis Shapovalov, I thought Tabilo might have the edge, but Jódar came out firing, striking winners from all areas of the court and never letting Tabilo settle.
Jódar’s game has serious firepower alongside his outstanding tactical awareness, and a meeting with Flavio Cobolli should tell us a lot more about where his level sits right now.
Alexander Zverev def. Terence Atmane 7-6(4), 7-6(6)
Alexander Zverev survived another awkward test, needing two tie-breaks to finally shake off Terence Atmane.
The Frenchman served brilliantly throughout and twice came within a point of forcing a deciding set after saving two match points in the second-set breaker, but Zverev regrouped immediately to finish the job.
Sascha still hasn’t hit the level you’d normally associate with a top seed, or what we’ve seen from him earlier this season, but he’s still in the tournament.
Arthur Fils def. Jiří Lehečka 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-3
Arthur Fils picked up one of the better wins of the day by ending Jiří Lehečka’s run in three entertaining sets.
The Frenchman completely dominated the opener and looked set to finish the match in two sets before failing to convert a match point in the second-set tie-break.
To his credit, he didn’t collapse after that disappointment. Fils reset well, broke early in the decider and controlled the remainder of the match to earn another impressive victory over the Czech, his third against Lehečka this season.
Other Matches of Note
Tommy Paul recovered from a slow start to defeat Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and set up another meeting with Alexander Zverev.
Flavio Cobolli escaped a stern test from Alexander Blockx, recovering from 3-5 down in the deciding set to win four straight games and book a clash with Rafael Jódar.
Alex de Minaur also had to dig deep after three rain delays disrupted his match against Arthur Fery. The Australian squandered a 5-1 lead in the second set (something he keeps doing) before regaining his composure to dominate the deciding tie-break.
Highlights
Cincinnati Open Day Six Round of 32 Matches
- Taylor Fritz (6) vs Daniel Merida Aguilar
- Andrey Rublev (13) vs Nuno Borges
- Brandon Nakashima (27) vs Daniil Medvedev (4)
- Jaime Faria (Q) vs Adam Walton
- Michael Zheng (Q) vs Lorenzo Musetti (10)
- Learner Tien (16) vs Frances Tiafoe (17)
- Juan Manuel Cerundolo vs Felix Auger-Aliassime (2)
