|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Cincinnati Open in the Round of 64, beaten 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 by Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante in punishing heat. Top seed Alexander Zverev survived a first-set scare to edge past Cameron Norrie 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a match that ended past 2am. Seeds Vacherot and Arnaldi also fell on a dramatic day of men’s action in Mason, Ohio.
Mason, Ohio: The 125th edition of the Cincinnati Open is already serving up chaos. Novak Djokovic, a three-time champion and one of the biggest draws in the sport, will not be present for the second week of the tournament after falling to a player ranked outside the top 50 in his very first match of the day. The sweltering heat — which Djokovic himself cited as a significant factor — played its part, but credit must go entirely to Tirante, who kept his nerve across two and a half hours to complete one of the more significant upsets of the summer hard-court swing.
For Zverev, the night was a late and uncomfortable one. The top seed and French Open champion stumbled through a below-par first set against Norrie before finding his level to advance in a match that concluded deep into the early hours.
Djokovic Falls to the Heat and Tirante
Djokovic’s match on the main show court had all the early hallmarks of a routine opener. The 24-time Grand Slam champion breezed through the first set 6-2 against Tirante, looking crisp and in control on his return to competitive action — his first match since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals over a month earlier.
ALSO READ: Shapovalov shrugs off Montreal retirement to set up Djokovic showdown as Landaluce stuns Draper
But the heat took hold. Temperatures in the punishing afternoon session were extreme, and Tirante — younger, fresher in the tournament, and growing in confidence — found another gear in the second set. He absorbed Djokovic’s power, redirected it with heavy topspin from the baseline, and converted to take the set 6-4. The match was level, and Djokovic was spent.
The third set told a story of attrition. Djokovic pressed, but Tirante refused to waver. A second 6-4 set sealed a famous win that was met with a roar from the Centre Court crowd. Djokovic was philosophical in defeat. “It was a combination of the heat and humidity, all those things,” he said — the admission of a man who had given the conditions as much as they would allow. What could prove his last appearance at a tournament he has won three times — including as recently as 2023 — ended here.
Zverev Grinds Through Into the Small Hours
Across the grounds, top seed Zverev was making heavy weather of his contest with a resurgent Cameron Norrie. The Briton, who had found form coming into Cincinnati, played the more cohesive tennis in the opening set and took it 6-3, stunning a Zverev who later admitted his confidence was still fragile following his exit in Canada the week prior.
But Zverev is too complete a player to stay down. He lifted his level in the second set, breaking early and controlling the baseline rallies with the heavy, deep groundstrokes that make him so difficult to handle in a best-of-three format. He took the second 6-3, and the third set followed the same script — Norrie faded, Zverev moved forward, and the top seed closed out 6-3 to advance in a match that ended at 2:15am.
“I needed to get a match rhythm,” Zverev said. “The confidence was not there after Canada. The first set was not great, but the other two were at a high level, and I’m happy about that.”
Seeds Hold, Seeds Fall: The Full Round of 64 Picture
Beyond the top two names, Saturday’s Round of 64 delivered a mixed bag for the seeds. Seventh seed Flavio Cobolli was untroubled, dispatching Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, while Alexander Blockx (28) was equally efficient in sweeping Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4. Both will advance into a week that promises significant opportunities in a half of the draw now without Djokovic.
Fifteenth seed Valentin Vacherot suffered the day’s other seeded defeat, losing 6-3, 6-3 to unheralded Argentinian qualifier Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, who was so dominant he barely broke sweat across the 80-minute rout. Vallejo — ranked well outside the top 100 — now faces a genuine run in Mason.
Matteo Arnaldi, seeded 31st, also fell — 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to Spain’s Martin Landaluce, who has quietly become one of the most dangerous floaters in the draw after earlier eliminating wildcard Jack Draper in the Round of 128.
The Road Ahead
The draw has opened up considerably on the Djokovic side. Alex de Minaur (5), Jiri Lehecka (9), Rafael Jodar (12), and Jakub Mensik (14) — all round of 32 winners on the day — now find a path to the quarterfinals that no longer runs through one of the sport’s greatest champions. Lehecka was composed in seeing off Matteo Berrettini 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3, while Jodar survived a three-set battle against Denis Shapovalov 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, and Mensik edged through in a similarly tight 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(5) encounter against Rinky Hijikata that spoke to the depth of competition at this level. De Minaur, meanwhile, recovered from a first-set bagel to beat Arthur Fery (32) 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(4).
Tommy Paul — one of the home hopes — beat a seeded Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3 to keep the American crowd engaged, while Tirante’s shock of the day ensures the draw will now be closely re-examined heading into what promises to be a thrilling second round at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
Key Round of 64 Results — Men’s Singles, Cincinnati Open 2026 (August 15)
Alexander Zverev (1) def. Cameron Norrie — 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Thiago Agustin Tirante def. Novak Djokovic (3) — 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Alex de Minaur (5) def. Arthur Fery (32) — 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(4)
Flavio Cobolli (7) def. Miomir Kecmanovic — 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
Jiri Lehecka (9) def. Matteo Berrettini — 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3
Rafael Jodar (12) def. Denis Shapovalov — 7-5, 4-6, 7-5
Jakub Mensik (14) def. Rinky Hijikata — 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(5)
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo def. Valentin Vacherot (15) — 6-3, 6-3
Tommy Paul (18) def. Hubert Hurkacz — 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3
Alexander Blockx (28) def. Mariano Navone — 6-3, 6-4
Martin Landaluce def. Matteo Arnaldi (31) — 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
