Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paolini collide in the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals with the tie in their head-to-head intact and momentum sitting on different shoulders. Gauff, the world No. 2, arrives after a difficult run of events following her Roland Garros title and is now through to her first quarterfinal of the summer in Cincinnati as the calendar moves toward the US Open.

Paolini reached this stage without dropping a set, dispatching former top-three player Maria Sakkari and Barbora Krejcikova en route to the last eight. Her form in Cincinnati contrasts with Gauff’s recent uptick; Paolini has shown consistency on clay this year, including two wins over Gauff.

Their overall series stands at 2-2. Paolini claimed both meetings against Gauff this year on clay: a 6-4, 6-3 victory in the Stuttgart quarterfinals and a 6-4, 6-2 win in the final of Rome. Gauff’s victories have come on hard courts, including a 6-3, 6-2 quarterfinal victory over Paolini at this tournament in 2023, a run that culminated in the Cincinnati title and, later, the US Open.

The matchup presents a clear contrast of recent paths. Gauff is attempting to build rhythm late in the lead-up to a Grand Slam fortnight, while Paolini brings confidence from straight-set wins and key scalps in Cincinnati. The scheduled start time for the match is 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, August 15.

This quarterfinal will be a test of surface comfort and recent form: Gauff with her hard-court pedigree against Paolini’s clay-season successes. Their 2-2 ledger and the detailed scorelines from earlier meetings suggest the match could hinge on who executes their game plan under the Friday evening lights. © 2025 Robert Prange

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.

MASON, Ohio — The stadium court at the Cincinnati Open felt like a portrait of August: heat in the stands, cooling towels in hand and the noise of the highway beyond the grounds. The tournament’s neon-yellow towels were everywhere as fans tried to stay comfortable on a rain-free Day 9. “It’s gonna be a warm one,” a photographer from the Cincinnati area said in the press room.

On the women’s side, Coco Gauff’s day extended beyond the scoreline. After her round of 16 win she reflected on family and downtime. “My grandfather founded a Little League in Delray [Fla.], and it’s still running to this day, and I volunteered there. I would sit and, you know, did a little score sheet. So I know the game very well.” She added a preference for seeing baseball live: “I’m definitely someone who prefers to watch baseball in person than on TV. It can be boring, not gonna lie.” She also acknowledged the season’s grind. “I think sometimes tennis fans want us to win, like every week, but we’re playing 11 months. It’s not that easy,” and admitted she sometimes seeks solitude: “Sometimes I prefer to be by myself than with them,” later adding, “I was just like, ‘Bro, why did I do this?’”

Jasmine Paolini dispatched Barbora Krejcikova 6-1, 6-2 and provided a bit of levity about the conditions. Asked how she handled the heat, she said, “Every changeover, I take the ice sausage,” and laughed as she noted past results against Coco: “A couple years ago I won five games, so I hope to do better.” She left the court still wearing the towel and tossed three balls into the stands.

Jannik Sinner produced a dominant performance against Felix Auger-Aliassime, taking the first set 6-0 and handing Auger-Aliassime his first bagel since 2022. Sinner, the world No. 1, said, “I felt like I was returning very, very well today. I think that was my key point, which also gave me the confidence to serve well.” Commentator Robbie Koenig observed, “What worries me about Felix is the size of the misses we see from him.” Sinner reached the semifinals, where he will face either Holger Rune or Terence Atmane.

The Grandstand produced one of the loudest crowds of the tournament for Ben Shelton. Fans chanted “Come on Ben,” “You got this Benny,” “One more Benny.” Shelton, with his father Bryan courtside and the loosened on-court coaching in play, mimicked a corrected volley after looking to his dad. Shelton extended his streak to nine straight wins and will meet Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.