Day Six completed the Round of 32 in Cincinnati, with Brandon Nakashima producing one of the escapes of the season, Félix Auger-Aliassime continuing his strong return post-Wimbledon and Frances Tiafoe edging a high-quality all-American battle against Learner Tien.

With the last 16 now set, the tournament is nicely poised. Several of the biggest names remain in contention, but the draw has opened up following the exits of Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton and Daniil Medvedev.

All players are in action on Wednesday, with the standout fourth-round clashes including Alexander Zverev against Tommy Paul, Rafael Jódar taking on Flavio Cobolli, and a meeting between Félix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe.

Day Six Cincinnati Open Round of 32 Results

Key Match Recap

Brandon Nakashima def. Daniil Medvedev 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-1

We’ve seen quite a few comebacks during the US Open Series so far, and Brandon Nakashima produced another, saving three match points before stunning Daniil Medvedev to continue the best run of his career.

At 4-5, 0-40 in the second set, it looked like all she wrote. Instead, Nakashima played three fearless points to stay alive, forcing a deciding set before completely running away with the match as Medvedev faded.

Fresh off reaching his maiden Masters 1000 final in Montreal, the American continues to play with huge confidence, and coming back from the brink here is arguably a more impressive performance than anything he produced in Canada.

He’s striking the ball as cleanly as anyone on tour right now, and serving superbly, which is why he’s now entering the top 20. You also have to give some credit to coach Wayne Ferreira; he’s only been in the role since June.

Félix Auger-Aliassime def. Juan Manuel Cerúndolo 7-5, 6-1

Félix Auger-Aliassime continued his encouraging return from injury with another composed victory, overcoming a tricky opening set before pulling away comfortably.

Unlike his brother, the lesser-known Cerúndolo is classed as a clay-court player, but he’s had some decent results on hard courts this season, and his left-handed patterns caused early problems.

However, once Auger-Aliassime adjusted, the match quickly became one-way traffic. His first serve was excellent, his forehand dictated the rallies, and while he’s still as dull as ever to watch, his game looked sharp enough to put him in the mix here.

Frances Tiafoe def. Learner Tien 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

Frances Tiafoe edged an entertaining all-American battle against Learner Tien to reach the last 16.

The pair traded momentum throughout, with Tien once again showing why he’s become one of the toughest players to hit through.

Ultimately, Tiafoe’s greater firepower proved decisive, earning the crucial break midway through the deciding set before serving out an impressive victory.

Tiafoe is fresh off having a cyst removed from his right hand, but recovery time is obviously not required, with Tien even joking at the net: “Where is your injury? That surgery was fake. Stop lying.”

Anyway, a very solid win for Tiafoe, who seems to be quietly building momentum.

Taylor Fritz def. Daniel Mérida Aguilar 6-3, 6-4

Taylor Fritz ended Daniel Mérida’s excellent North American run with a professional straight-sets victory.

Mérida again showed flashes of the aggressive hard-court tennis that carried him deep in Montreal and into the third round here, but Fritz was simply too solid behind serve and too consistent from the baseline.

The American has now won seven consecutive matches on home soil and remains one of the favourites for the title.

Other Matches of Note

Nuno Borges finally snapped his five-match losing streak against Andrey Rublev with an impressive 6-3, 6-4 victory and now meets the red-hot Brandon Nakashima. Rublev will now fall outside the Top 20 for the first time in six years, and I can’t remember the last time he was a factor in any tournament he played.

Jaime Faria continued the tournament of his life, backing up his upset of Ben Shelton by recovering to beat Adam Walton in three sets and reach his first Masters 1000 Round of 16.

Lorenzo Musetti needed little more than an hour to dispatch qualifier Michael Zheng, while Christopher O’Connell advanced via walkover following João Fonseca’s withdrawal with an abdominal injury.

Highlights

Cincinnati Open Day Seven Round of 16 Matches

- Alexander Zverev (1) vs Tommy Paul (18)

- Rafael Jodar (12) vs Flavio Cobolli (7)

- Thiago Agustín Tirante vs Jakub Mensik (14)

- Arthur Fils (21) vs Alex de Minaur (5)

- Taylor Fritz (6) vs Christopher O’Connell (Q)

- Nuno Borges vs Brandon Nakashima (27)

- Jaime Faria (Q) vs Lorenzo Musetti (10)

- Frances Tiafoe (17) vs Felix Auger-Aliassime (2)