Cincinnati Masters, 2021

We are in the middle of a personal favorite time of year in terms of tennis. The US hard court season is in full swing as the 2022 edition of the Western and Southern Open is set to begin this week. It is coming behind a wild Canadian Open that saw all top 3 seeded men’s single players lose their first match of the tournament. A feat that hadn’t been achieved since Indian Wells in 1999. Those three players (Medvedev, Alcaraz, and Tsitsipas) look to turn their luck around as they head to the Midwest and the Queen City of Cincinnati. As a native Ohioan, I look forward to this tournament every year because it is my only opportunity to watch the top ranked tennis players in the world. My first opportunity to attend a professional tennis tournament was this time last year at the 2021 Cincinnati Masters. Thus, this tournament will always hold a close place to my heart.

The top 8 men’s seeds going into the week are as follows; Medvedev, Nadal, Alcaraz, Tsitsipas, Ruud, Rublev, Auger-Aliassime, and Hurkacz. Hurkacz has the potential to be a late scratch from the tournament as he has just sealed his place into the Canadian Open final. As for the remaining 7 players, they will all be hungry to capture the silverware being offered in Cincinnati this week. A couple of key players who are missing from the draw include Djokovic, and Zverev. Djokovic is still not allowed to play in tournaments held in Canada or the US due to his vaccination status. Zverev, who is the defending champion, is still nursing his right ankle injury he sustained at the French Open this year, he hopes to be able to make it back in time for the US Open later this month. Last year’s finalists Rublev will look to protect his 600 points he gained from this tournament last year. Nadal is an exciting entry to this year’s festivities as his status was unknown until recently due to an injury he sustained at Wimbledon this year. He returns to the great state of Ohio for the first time since 2017, to a tournament he has won before in 2013. He looks to beef up an entry list that, without Nadal and Murray, have lackluster results in these tournaments thanks to the “Big 3” era.

This year has its fair share of intriguing 1st Round matches to grab the audience’s attention starting early on Monday. Unranked Dennis Shapovalov faces off against 16th seed Grigor Dimitrov in a battle between a youngster stuck in a rut, against a seasoned veteran trying to get back to the top of the ranks. Nick Kyrgios goes up against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a good test which pairs the hottest tennis player on tour in Kyrgios against a Masters 1000 finalist earlier this year (Monte-Carlo) in Alejandro. This all pales in comparison to the marquee match-up of the day which has two 3 time Grand Slam champions go head to head. Stan Wawrinka is set to face Andy Murray in a match that could’ve been a Grand Slam final only 6 years ago. These two giants of the sport are facing each other for the 22nd time in their careers, and only the second match-up since Murray’s last title in Antwerp in 2019.

As I mentioned before this is my favorite Masters 1000 tournament of the year, and my second favorite tournament of the entire season. I hope to see some fireworks when I get to attend the matches in person on the second day of play. The bottom half of the draw has the potential for some lower seeded players to make some moves. I could see 10th seed Jannik Sinner getting past Auger-Aliassime to force a quarter-final match-up with Nadal. I will also be excited to see if an experienced player like 14th seed Marin Cilic can give a younger player like Alcaraz some problems if given the chance. Ultimately however, I foresee an all-Spain Semi-Final between the legend of Nadal going against the heir to his throne in Alcaraz. In terms of the top half, I see the chalk continue to play out as I believe Tsitsipas will have a bounce back week after his disaster against Tommy Paul in Montreal. I also see Medvedev continuing to flex his muscles on the hard courts and getting past either a tired Kyrgios or an inconsistent Rublev. I would keep an eye out for a player like Taylor Fritz to continue his hot streak and give a good challenge to a Rublev or Medvedev. I would also be aware of Berrettini being the 12th seed. He also had a tough week in his return from COVID at the Canadian Open, but he was near top form in early May and I look for him to continue his mini comeback tour from injury.

2022 Cincinnati Masters Predictions: Men’s Singles

Semi-Finals:

  • (1) Medvedev vs (4) Tsitsipas
  • (2) Nadal vs (4) Alcaraz

Final:

  • (1) Medvedev vs (4) Alcaraz

Winner:

  • (1) Medvedev

The women’s draw also has some excitement to look forward to this year. Serena Williams has stated in previous interviews that she is in the twilight of her career and can see the finish line in front of her. Many people (including myself) believe that she will retire after the 2022 US Open and finish her career in her hometown of New York. It is always sad to see a legend leave the sport, but it is what makes sports beautiful, it never lasts. It reminds us to appreciate the greats while we can still watch them. A time will come in the Men’s game when Djokovic, Nadal, and soon Federer will no longer be in entry lists, and they will no longer take the court. As a sports fan we never look forward to these days. We want our favorite players to play as long as we’re still watching and loving them compete. However, as it’s been proven time and time again, across many sports and countries, father time is undefeated. It is very likely that this time next year we will no longer be able to cheer for Serena or Venus Williams. While their impact on the sports is undeniable, and their place in the “GOAT” conversation is undisputed, their time on the tennis court is wrapping up.

Serena will be matched up against 10th seed Emma Raducanu in a tough battle against a young Brit who is struggling with regaining her form following her triumph in New York last year. Venus is paired with 14th seed Karoline Pliskova in what I could only imagine will be Venus’s last match in Cincinnati. Both of these remarkable women will leave the tennis courts this week as legends, and champions. Serena will leave as a two-time defending champion (2014, 2015), and Venus will leave as a defending semi-finalist (2012). It is promised to be a sensational end to 2 astounding careers.

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