The Cincinnati Open, previously known as the Western & Southern Open, is commemorating its 125th anniversary and its 45th year in Mason, Ohio, as the tournament kicks off on Monday.
Monday features the concluding round of qualifying matches, with eight players from the ATP and WTA securing spots in the main draw.
The night session will showcase six main draw matches in the ATP, including two singles and four doubles matches, with American Tommy Paul, currently ranked World No. 13 and fresh off a Bronze Medal at the Paris Olympics, taking center stage. A total of 116 players participating in the Cincinnati Open also competed at the Paris Olympics, among them 20 medalists and three flag bearers from the Opening Ceremony.
In 2023, Tommy Paul reached the Round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open before being eliminated by Carlos Alcaraz.
The evening session will also feature Ohio State’s Robert Cash and JJ Tracy, the 2024 NCAA doubles champions, facing off against Wimbledon finalists Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson.
Looking ahead to Tuesday, 32 matches will take place during the opening round of the ATP and WTA main draw.
In Monday’s matches, Ohio State teammates Cash and Tracy lost in straight sets to Purcell and Thompson.
Karen Khachanov of Russia ended the night session quickly, claiming a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Francisco Cerundolo after being eliminated in the second round of the Canadian Open.
China’s Yafan Wang, who previously reached the Round of 32 at the Cincinnati Open in 2019, overcame Russia’s Erika Andreeva in a grueling three-set match to make it to the main draw.
Italy’s Flavio Cobolli caused an early upset in the ATP main draw by defeating Tommy Paul with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
American Robin Montgomery also advanced to the main draw by beating Italy’s Martina Trevisan 6-4, 6-4.
Taylor Townsend, the No. 12 seed, returned with a solid performance, winning 6-0, 6-3 over fellow American Katie Volynets. Townsend recently claimed a Wimbledon doubles title.
Spain’s Jaume Munar advanced by stunning No. 6 seed Lorenzo Sonego, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Aleksander Kovacevic also made it to the main draw after defeating Australian Rinky Hijikata in straight sets.
Americans Alex Michelsen and Portugal’s Nuno Borges both cruised through their qualifying matches to reach the main draw, with Michelsen eliminating Mackenzie McDonald and Borges overcoming Aleksander Vukic.
Lulu Sun from New Zealand, after a recent Wimbledon quarterfinal run, earned her spot in the main draw by defeating Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Notably, former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka fell short in the qualifiers, losing to Ashlyn Krueger 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in her first qualifying appearance since 2018 following maternity leave.
In another matchup, Brandon Holt advanced to the ATP main draw for the first time since February by overcoming Zachary Svajda.
Additional matches saw Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka win against France’s Arthur Cazaux, while Corentin Moutet from France claimed his spot with a three-set victory over Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.
Poland’s Magdalena Frech became the first qualifier to secure a place in the main draw, winning 6-4, 6-1 against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. Frech, who holds a WTA ranking of No. 50, has demonstrated her competitive edge this year, featuring in the Round of 16 in both Dubai and the Australian Open.
Fans can watch the Cincinnati Open matches live on the Tennis Channel and through other platforms, including Amazon Prime, Roku, Samsung+, YouTube TV, and Hulu+ Live. Gates at the Lindner Family Tennis Center open at 9:30 a.m., with matches commencing at 11 a.m. Night session gates will open at 5 p.m., with first matches beginning at 6 p.m.
Single-session tickets for the tournament are available, starting around $70 for day sessions and $55 for night sessions. Multi-day ticket packages are sold out.