Victoria Mboko’s coaching team framed the decision to skip the Cincinnati Open as a deliberate move to protect the Canadian’s emerging momentum ahead of the US Open. Mboko stunned the tennis world in Montreal, rallying from a set down to beat Naomi Osaka in the final and climb from No 85 to a career-high of world No 24.

That rise is significant: it leaves Mboko in line to be seeded at the US Open, where she will make her third Grand Slam main-draw appearance. She reached the third round at Roland Garros after qualifying and reached the second round at Wimbledon as a lucky loser. Mboko’s Canadian Open title involved victories over four Grand Slam champions, including Osaka, and she will not play another senior match between that triumph and her maiden US Open main-draw appearance.

The Canadian had been granted a special exemption into the second round of the Cincinnati Open but withdrew after managing a wrist issue that surfaced towards the end of her Montreal campaign. Her coach Nathalie Tauziat, a former world No 3 and 1998 Wimbledon runner-up, explained the planning behind the withdrawal.

“After Roland Garros, when we defined the schedule up to the US Open, we set some goals,” said Tauziat.

“Based on the way she’s playing, we know she’s capable of doing something big in New York. We want to focus 100% on that tournament, arriving well prepared and injury-free.

“After Montreal, it was vital to manage the schedule well, which is why we’re not going to Cincinnati.”

Tauziat’s experience includes prior work with Eugenie Bouchard, Leylah Fernandez, and Bianca Andreescu, and she has applied that perspective to Mboko’s rapid ascent. Mboko has not yet contested a senior match in New York; as a junior she reached the girls’ singles semi-finals at the 2022 US Open before losing to eventual champion Alex Eala.

With Zheng Qinwen and Paula Badosa already out of the US Open field, Mboko is currently projected to be the 22nd seed, though that placement could shift depending on results in Cincinnati this week.

At the Cincinnati Open, University of Louisville student-athlete Russell Lokko was handed an unexpected scholarship from Frances Tiafoe. What began as a behind-the-scenes meet-and-greet at the Lindner Family Tennis Center became a life-changing moment when Tiafoe presented Lokko with a $30,000 award spread over two years through the USTA Foundation’s Frances Tiafoe Fund.

Lokko, a rising junior and standout on the Louisville tennis team, had been opening a gift bag from player sponsors Lululemon, La Roche-Posay and Clif Bar when Tiafoe revealed the check. “I’m super excited, and I’m really blessed that Frances gave me this check,” Lokko said. “It’s going to take a lot off my parents, and it’s going to help me stay focused on what I want to do in college.

“I had no idea that he was going to give me this money… Growing up, Frances has always been a role model for me, so to get it directly from him is unbelievable.” The award will help cover a gap in scholarship funding so Lokko can continue his education at Louisville.

Lokko’s tennis journey began at the NJTL of Trenton, part of the USTA Foundation’s National Junior Tennis & Learning network, the same network connected to Tiafoe’s early training at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md. Tiafoe described why he created the fund and the importance of supporting players like Lokko: “To see how ecstatic he was, and being able to take care of his junior and senior year is a huge deal, man,” Tiafoe said. “The son of immigrants… I’ve been in that seat. I know how it is, and the struggle for him to be able to do that.

“If he gets a little push by me, and me being one percent of the reason why he’s gonna become the man he’s gonna be is incredible. That’s why I created this fund within the USTA Foundation, to be able to do great things like that.”

Tiafoe said he welcomed the opportunity as well. “I was super excited about (the idea from USTA), because I get to meet somebody who I know looks up to me and be able to bless him along the way,” Tiafoe said. “It was an incredible experience, and I was even nervous about it today! I wanted everything to go smoothly and in the right way.” During the visit Lokko met Tiafoe, watched his practice and shadowed him around the tournament. On Saturday night Lokko watched Tiafoe win 6-4, 6-3 against Roberto Carballes Baena courtside in the player box.

Co-founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell, and Sheridan Snyder, the NJTL network now includes more than 270 organizations that combine tennis and education to support young people from under-resourced communities.

Jannik Sinner acknowledged the role of fortune in a pivotal Wimbledon moment and used it as motivation heading into his title defence at the Cincinnati Open.

Grigor Dimitrov was leading two sets to love in their round of 16 match at Wimbledon before a pectoral muscle injury forced him to withdraw.

“I was lucky against Grigor, but I took it as a sign,” Sinner said.

“You never know what can happen and that’s how it is in tennis. So you have to try to understand why and how certain things happen.

“And after that match, I really raised my level of play, and I played some of the best tennis I could play. It was a very emotional moment for me, and I was able to celebrate with my team.”

Sinner, the world No.1, arrives in Cincinnati seeking to retain the title he won there previously. He will face Daniel Elahi Galan in the Round of 16 and used the run from Wimbledon as a reference point for his mindset.

On the conditions in Cincinnati he offered a striking observation about the balls: “From my point of view, the tennis balls are getting smaller,” he said ahead of his Round of 16 match against Daniel Elahi Galan. “The more you play, the smaller they get.

“That is very strange because usually they open up and get slower, but here they get actually faster.

“The ball bounces much higher. We haven’t had one very windy day yet, but it’s going to be very difficult if there’s going to be wind here.

“We saw it last year, remember the match against Andrey was super difficult, so it’s very difficult and it’s going to be a mental game. I am trying to accept every situation on the court and trying to be ready.”

Sinner confirmed he will wear an arm sleeve in Cincinnati as he did at Wimbledon but insisted it was not for pain. “The elbow does not hurt, but I like the sensation that gives the sleeve,” he said. “It gives a little more stability in the impact with the ball. I had also used it at Wimbledon and I liked it.”