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Alexander Zverev needed every ounce of his big-match experience to survive a sensational Terence Atmane challenge, scraping through 7-6(4), 7-6(8) in a match that went to the very brink. Teenage Spaniard Rafael Jodar produced the performance of the night, demolishing 22nd seed Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 6-1 in just 75 minutes, while Arthur Fils eliminated ninth seed Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 7-6(9), 6-3 in a match that swung wildly in the second set. Thiago Agustin Tirante continued his improbable post-Djokovic charge past Martin Landaluce 7-6(5), 7-6(4), Flavio Cobolli overcame Alexander Blockx from 3-5 down in the final set, Tommy Paul rallied from a first-set loss, and Jakub Mensik and Alex de Minaur advanced in straight sets as the Cincinnati Round of 32 delivered another night of compelling drama.
Mason, Ohio: Sunday night at the Lindner Family Tennis Center — stretching well into Monday morning for fans following from India — delivered another chapter of the chaotic, compelling Cincinnati story. The Round of 32 produced late drama, tiebreak thrillers, and a teenage Spaniard who is beginning to look very much like he belongs among the game’s elite. Zverev’s survival act was the biggest story, but almost every match on the card had a moment of its own.
Zverev Holds His Nerve Against Atmane
Top seed Zverev’s path through the draw is proving considerably bumpier than his ranking suggests. Having dropped a set to Cameron Norrie in the previous round, he was taken to the absolute limit by Terence Atmane — the French qualifier who had already stunned 26th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry earlier in the tournament and arrived on the P&G Stadium Court with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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Zverev won 7-6(4), 7-6(8) after holding two match points at 6-4 in the second-set tiebreak before Atmane saved the first with an ace, forcing the contest to the very edge. The crowd, increasingly won over by the Frenchman’s fearless hitting, roared every winner. Zverev dug deep — his serve held when it mattered and his forehand, which had been inconsistent across stretches of the match, found the lines when the tournament demanded it. The world number one advances, bruised but alive, to a Round of 16 that will require considerably more.
Jodar the Teenager Terrorises Tabilo
The performance of the night came from 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, who demolished 22nd seed Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 6-1 in just 75 minutes in a statement of supreme confidence. The Spaniard’s flat groundstrokes found corners Tabilo could not reach, his serve produced aces at critical moments, and Jodar never looked anything other than in complete control. The win sees him join Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton as the only teenagers to reach the Cincinnati Round of 16 this decade — a remarkable landmark for a player who barely registered on the wider tennis radar twelve months ago. He will next face Cobolli, and will fear no one.
Fils Survives Lehecka Fightback
Arthur Fils came through a testing 6-1, 7-6(9), 6-3 victory over ninth seed Jiri Lehecka — a match that was anything but straightforward despite the comfortable first set. Fils raced through the opener but Lehecka found a completely different gear in the second, pushing the tiebreak to 9-7 before the Frenchman finally closed it out. Once Fils had survived that scare, he reasserted himself in the third set with the authority of a player who had shaken off the wobble and remembered who he was. The win sends Fils into the Round of 16 as one of the draw’s more dangerous floaters.
Tirante’s Incredible Run Continues
Thiago Agustin Tirante, the Argentine who stunned Djokovic in the previous round, shows no sign of being overawed by the occasion. Tirante beat Martin Landaluce 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in a pair of competitive tiebreaks on the Champions Court — the Spaniard, who had himself eliminated Matteo Arnaldi to reach this stage, was a stiff opponent throughout but Tirante’s relentless baseline aggression was ultimately the difference. The Argentine now faces a Round of 16 that would have seemed inconceivable before Cincinnati began.
Cobolli Fights Back, Mensik and De Minaur Advance
Flavio Cobolli (7) found a late surge to overcome Alexander Blockx 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, winning four consecutive games from 3-5 down in the final set to reach the Round of 16 at a Masters 1000 for the fourth time in his career. It was a performance that underlined Cobolli’s mental resilience — Blockx had clearly targeted the match as winnable and had the Italian rattled deep in the third set before Cobolli’s class told.
READ MORE: Tirante stuns Djokovic in Cincinnati heat, Zverev survives Norrie scare
Jakub Mensik (14) was sharp and efficient against Rinky Hijikata, winning 6-3, 6-4 to send the Australian wildcard — who had stunned Luciano Darderi in the previous round — out of the tournament without ceremony. Fifth seed Alex de Minaur defeated Arthur Fery (32) 7-5, 7-6(7) in a competitive two-setter, the Australian recovering from a tight first set to see off the Briton in a second-set tiebreak that went all the way.
Paul Rallies From a Set Down
Tommy Paul (18) was pushed hard by qualifier Adolfo Vallejo — the Argentine who had stunned 15th seed Valentin Vacherot earlier in the tournament — before rallying to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Paul dropped the first set but grew into the match, his serve finding its range in the second and third sets to advance, much to the relief of the Ohio home crowd still smarting from Ben Shelton’s earlier exit.
Fonseca Withdraws, O’Connell Through
Joao Fonseca (23) withdrew ahead of his scheduled Round of 32 match, handing Christopher O’Connell a walkover into the Round of 16. O’Connell — the Australian qualifier who had seen Casper Ruud retire against him in the previous round — now advances to the last 16 through a combination of results and fortune that would have seemed impossible when the tournament began.
Round of 16 — What’s Next
The Round of 16 is set and bristles with compelling matchups. Zverev faces Tommy Paul. Jodar meets Cobolli in an all-youth clash that could be the match of the round. Tirante — the man who beat Djokovic — faces O’Connell. Mensik takes on De Minaur in a battle of hardcourt specialists. And Fils, fresh from surviving Lehecka’s second-set surge, will be no one’s easy draw.
Men’s Round of 32 Results — Cincinnati Open 2026 (Sunday night/Monday, August 17–18)
Alexander Zverev (1) def. Terence Atmane — 7-6(4), 7-6(8)
Tommy Paul (18) def. Adolfo Vallejo — 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Arthur Fils (21) def. Jiri Lehecka (9) — 6-1, 6-7(9), 6-3
Rafael Jodar (12) def. Alejandro Tabilo (22) — 6-2, 6-1
Flavio Cobolli (7) def. Alexander Blockx (28) — 7-5, 4-6, 7-5
Jakub Mensik (14) def. Rinky Hijikata — 6-3, 6-4
Alex de Minaur (5) def. Arthur Fery (32) — 7-5, 7-6(3)
Thiago Agustin Tirante def. Martin Landaluce — 7-6(5), 7-6(4)
Christopher O’Connell def. Joao Fonseca (23) — walkover
