The Cincinnati quarterfinal between No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 6 Ben Shelton represents the first meeting of Top 10 players in the men’s draw at this event. Shelton arrives on a nine-match winning streak that includes his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto last week and has carried him into another Masters 1000 quarterfinal in Cincinnati.

For Shelton this is the first time he has reached back-to-back Masters 1000 quarterfinals. His recent run also included a straight-sets victory over No. 4-ranked Taylor Fritz in Canada. Shelton’s two best career wins to date came against No. 4-ranked opponents: he beat then-No. 4 Jannik Sinner in Shanghai in 2023 and he beat the No. 4-ranked Taylor Fritz last week in Canada. Shelton has not yet beaten a Top 3 player.

Zverev, by contrast, has been dominant in their head-to-head. The German has won all three of their previous meetings. Their first encounter came in the same round in Cincinnati a year ago, a close match that Zverev won 3-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5. They met twice more this year: Zverev took the Munich final 6-2, 6-4 and followed that with a 7-6 (8), 7-6 (1) victory in the Stuttgart semifinals.

The matchup presents a stylistic and narrative contrast: Shelton’s momentum and recent title run versus Zverev’s clean record in their meetings and experience closing tight matches. The official estimated start time for this quarterfinal is 7:00 p.m. ET, Friday, August 15.

This contest will determine who advances deeper into the Cincinnati draw and could shape expectations heading into the US Open swing. With Zverev holding a 3-0 advantage and Shelton seeking to extend a nine-match streak that began with his run to a first Masters 1000 trophy, the quarterfinal has clear storylines and tangible stakes.

Jannik Sinner advanced to the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime, a win that reinforced the world No 1’s recent supremacy on hard courts. The scoreline was stark, and the match numbers were equally decisive.

Sinner converted domination into efficient serving and returns. He won 18 of the 23 points played when he landed his first serve and 10 of 16 second-serve points. On return, Sinner won 29 of the 45 points he faced against Auger-Aliassime’s serve, numbers that help explain the lopsided score.

“I felt that I was returning very well today,”

said Sinner. “I think that was the key point, which gave me the confidence to serve well. I had a small drop in the second set when he broke me. It could have been a small change but I am happy I broke him back quite early.

“He is a very difficult opponent because he serves well, he moves well. Physically in incredible shape and hits the forehand very well. But we prepared in the best way, also tactically and I felt like today I was playing some great tennis.”

The victory was Sinner’s first over Auger-Aliassime in three meetings, reversing a pair of losses from 2022. It also marked Sinner’s 25th consecutive hard-court win, a run that places him among five men this century to reach 25 straight victories on the surface. That sequence spans the ATP Finals and the Australian Open.

“Today I felt great on court,” stated Sinner. “I think you saw that but every day is going to be different. Tomorrow is a day off, which is good for me. We will try and put some reps in and then see what I can do in the semis.”

The result in Cincinnati added another authoritative chapter to Sinner’s campaign. His overall streak and the match statistics underline how thoroughly he controlled this encounter, even as the season carries on. His record might read differently had he not missed the Indian Wells and Miami Masters in March, as he was serving a three-month ban for a failed drug test.

Matteo Berrettini has withdrawn from the US Open, the USTA confirmed on Thursday, removing one of the tournament’s more consistent performers from this year’s draw. The 29-year-old leaves an 18-7 career mark at the event that includes a semifinal showing and two quarterfinal runs, but he will not add to those results at Flushing Meadows this season.

Berrettini’s withdrawal marks the third time in four years that he will miss multiple Grand Slam events in a single season. He has struggled for continuity this year and has played just one match since May. That scarcity of matches follows an earlier absence from Roland Garros after he picked up a right oblique injury at his home tournament in Rome, a problem that came after a mid-match retirement at the Mutua Madrid Open.

This season he is 13-11 overall and his victories include wins over Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic. His most recent match came at Wimbledon, where he lost a five-set opening-round contest to Kamil Majchrzak. Those results underline the stops and starts that have characterized his 2025 campaign.

The US Open has historically been the most reliable major for Berrettini among the four Slams. With an 18-7 record at the hard-court major, he has produced some of his best Grand Slam performances at Flushing Meadows. Still, the withdrawal continues a pattern of interrupted seasons and missed opportunities at the sport’s biggest events.

The USTA announcement closes the book on Berrettini’s prospects at the US Open this year and extends a period of recovery and limited competition for the Italian, who will now aim to regroup and address the injuries that have curtailed his schedule.