The Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio is gearing up for a spectacular week of tennis after the 2026 Cincinnati Open draws placed some of the sport's biggest names on a collision course early in the bracket.
On the men's side, top seed Alexander Zverev headlines a stacked upper half that also contains third seed Novak Djokovic and in-form 12th seed Rafael Jodar. Zverev, the reigning French Open champion, could face either Flavio Cobolli in a rematch of the Roland Garros final or Jodar in the projected quarter-finals. Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam winner, is slated for a potential last-eight showdown with fifth seed Alex de Minaur. Notably, both defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and world number one Jannik Sinner are absent from the draw due to injury, elevating the stakes for those who remain.
The bottom half of the ATP draw looks equally compelling, with Daniil Medvedev projected to face Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton set on a course toward Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Over on the WTA side, top seed Aryna Sabalenka and fourth seed Coco Gauff are projected to meet in the semi-finals, provided both navigate a demanding field. Gauff would first need to get past fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in a potential quarter-final. Defending champion Iga Swiatek could face second seed Elena Rybakina in the other projected last-eight encounter.
Also worth watching is 17th seed Alex Eala, making her Cincinnati main draw debut after her Washington Open title. Her projected path runs through Amanda Anisimova, Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, and a potential quarter-final rematch with Jessica Pegula.
TennisDraw users have flagged Sabalenka and Zverev as the most popular bracket picks to lift the Cincinnati trophies this fortnight.
