Day Seven delivered a shake-up in Cincinnati, with both of the tournament’s top two seeds crashing out in the Round of 16.
Alexander Zverev held a match point before Tommy Paul turned their rain-interrupted battle around, while Félix Auger-Aliassime came up with one of his loose performances to fall in straight sets to Frances Tiafoe.
Rafael Jódar’s excellent North American run also came to an end against Flavio Cobolli, and Alex de Minaur was comfortably outgunned by Arthur Fils.
Elsewhere, Thiago Agustín Tirante continued his superb week by adding Jakub Menšík to a list of victims that already includes Novak Djokovic, while Brandon Nakashima and Taylor Fritz kept the American challenge alive in the bottom half.
With Zverev and Auger-Aliassime gone, the draw is wide open heading into the quarter-finals, and several players now have a genuine chance to pick up one of the biggest titles of their careers.
Day Seven Cincinnati Open Round of 16 Results
| Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Tommy Paul (18) | Alexander Zverev (1) | 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 |
| Flavio Cobolli (7) | Rafael Jodar (12) | 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 |
| Thiago Agustin Tirante | Jakub Mensik (14) | 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Arthur Fils (21) | Alex de Minaur (5) | 6-3, 6-4 |
| Taylor Fritz (6) | Christopher O’Connell (Q) | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Brandon Nakashima (27) | Nuno Borges | 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 |
| Lorenzo Musetti (10) | Jaime Faria (Q) | 7-5, 6-2 |
| Frances Tiafoe (17) | Felix Auger-Aliassime (2) | 6-3, 6-4 |
Key Match Recap
Tommy Paul def. Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4
Another comeback win as Tommy Paul produced the result of the day, saving match point before knocking out top seed Alexander Zverev in a rain-interrupted three-set battle.
Zverev looked on course to edge another tight match after taking the opening set and then holding match point at 6-5 in the second-set tie-break, but Paul survived, stole the breaker and then somehow recovered from 2-4 down in the decider to win four straight games.
The rain delays made it a stop-start contest, but Paul handled the disruption better and kept taking advantage whenever Zverev’s level dipped. I thought Sascha didn’t hit the forehand as well as he did at Wimbledon either, and he looked a bit tired at the end.
However, Paul did a good job moving Zverev around, actually played well in the tighter moments (usually the opposite) and is now 3-1 in their head-to-head.
Flavio Cobolli def. Rafael Jódar 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3
Flavio Cobolli finally brought Rafael Jódar’s excellent North American run to an end, fighting back from a set down to reach the quarter-finals.
Jódar made the sharper start and looked in control early, but Cobolli hung around despite making 42 unforced errors across the first two sets.
The Italian eventually found his range in the second-set tie-break and looked the fresher, more explosive player in the decider, where Jódar’s recent workload perhaps started to tell.
Thiago Agustín Tirante def. Jakub Menšík 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
Thiago Agustín Tirante’s dream tournament continued with another comeback victory, this time against Jakub Menšík.
After losing a tight opening set, the Argentine stayed aggressive and gradually began getting more looks on the Czech’s serve.
Tirante has now beaten Novak Djokovic, Martín Landaluce and Menšík in consecutive matches, which is a serious run.
Arthur Fils def. Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4
Arthur Fils produced one of his best performances of the week to comfortably dismiss fifth seed Alex de Minaur.
The Frenchman had too much weight of shot from the baseline and did a good job of preventing De Minaur from turning the match into the sort of physical grind he normally thrives on.
Fils has now reached five Masters 1000 quarter-finals this season, while De Boulter’s form has dropped since he married, and I still class him as a bit of a pillow puncher when he’s up against guys with weapons who don’t fall apart in rallies easily.
Frances Tiafoe def. Félix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4
Frances Tiafoe picked up one of his better wins of the season with a composed straight-sets victory over Félix Auger-Aliassime.
FAA had looked sharp in his first two matches back from injury, but his level dropped considerably here, finishing with 37 unforced errors.
Tiafoe kept things much cleaner, rushed the Canadian from the baseline and did a good job of making him play one extra ball.
Brandon Nakashima def. Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3
Brandon Nakashima’s excellent summer rolled on with another three-set victory, this time over Nuno Borges.
The American fired 27 aces and again looked extremely composed in the deciding set, continuing the confidence he gained from reaching the Montreal final.
Borges has picked up some decent wins recently and made him work for it and deservedly forced a third, but Nakashima’s serve gave him the edge when the match tightened up.
Other Matches of Note
Taylor Fritz continued his strong run on home soil with a routine 6-4, 6-3 victory over qualifier Christopher O’Connell and has now won eight straight matches in the United States.
Lorenzo Musetti ended Jaime Faria’s excellent tournament with a comfortable 7-5, 6-2 win.
Highlights
Cincinnati Open Day Eight Quarterfinal Matches
- Tommy Paul (18) vs Flavio Cobolli (7)
- Thiago Agustin Tirante vs Arthur Fils (21)
