Alexander Zverev came through a testing encounter with Cameron Norrie, recovering from a set down to win in three sets, and the draw around him quickly shifted in his favour at the Cincinnati Open.

Several of the players who might have stood in his way were eliminated in the second round. Novak Djokovic was beaten by Thiago Agustin Tirante in what could be the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s final-ever match at the Cincinnati Open. Valentin Vacherot fell in straight sets to Daniel Vallejo, while Luciano Darderi was also taken out in straight sets by wildcard Rinky Hijikata.

Those results have left Zverev in a promising position as he looks to take advantage of the withdrawals of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The German has already shown he can make the most of an altered field, having won Roland Garros and reached the Wimbledon final without Alcaraz in the draw. He was unable to do the same at the Canadian Open when both Alcaraz and Sinner were absent, but the Cincinnati Open may now represent an even better opening.

The entire half of the draw has opened up in Ohio, and Djokovic, Vacherot and Darderi were all originally in Zverev’s section. That means he should face lower-ranked opponents until the closing stages.

His next match is against Terence Atmane, with Tomas Martin Etcheverry the player he might otherwise have met. If he advances, Tommy Paul or Vallejo could await in the fourth round, while Rafael Jodar or Flavio Cobolli appear the likeliest quarter-final opponents.

Zverev’s projected route also no longer includes Djokovic in the semi-finals. Alex de Minaur now looks the most likely candidate there, although Jakub Mensik and Arthur Fils will believe they have a chance to reach the last four.

Ben Shelton, fresh from his Canadian Open title, or Felix Auger-Aliassime, shape as the most probable final opponents. After the early shocks, more could follow, but Zverev would have likely accepted this situation before the tournament began.

Novak Djokovic’s Cincinnati Open run ended at the first obstacle, as the 39-year-old was beaten by Thiago Agustin Tirante after a draining contest that turned sharply in the Argentine’s favour.

Djokovic opened strongly and took the first set with ease, but the match grew tougher as the heat and humidity in Cincinnati began to tell. The Serbian later required a medical time-out after surviving an exhausting 18-minute service game, a moment that prompted Brad Gilbert to argue for changes to the rules around injury breaks and comfort breaks.

Posting on X, the former coach of Andy Murray, Coco Gauff, and Andre Agassi wrote: “I wish I could change the injury time out rules and comfort breaks.

“First thing I [would] get rid of: No evaluation time especially on a preexisting injury. Go back to three minute medical time out, that’s it. And [it] has to be on your serve or you forfeit the points. Bathroom breaks should be three minutes.”

The issue has already caused debate in Cincinnati, with Rafael Jodar drawing attention after taking a break to deal with his shoelaces in his win over Denis Shapovalov.

It has also been a familiar talking point elsewhere this season. At Wimbledon, Felix Auger-Aliassime criticised Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s medical time-out during their match, saying the rule should be changed because players can use it to their advantage. Speaking after that match, he said: “Now what I can say, though, is that I think the rule has to change. I think that obviously as long as the rule is like that, a player will use it to their advantage.

“I think that it’s very simple: if you’re hurt bad, or whatever you’re hurt, while the game’s going on of your opponent, in the middle of the game, the opponent is serving, the shot clock is on, basically when you’re hurt bad, you’re forfeiting every point until you can call the physio.

“If the physio helps you recover, you play your service game. If you’re hurt bad, then you retire, obviously. But to stop in the middle of an opponent’s service game and to be able to call the physio, I think that’s a disgrace of a rule. I don’t see any other sport where you can do that. I mark my words. It’s a disgrace of a rule.”

With the discussion showing no sign of fading, Gilbert’s intervention adds further pressure on the ATP and WTA Tours as the Cincinnati Open moves toward its finals on 23rd August.

Alexander Zverev booked his place in the third round of the Cincinnati Open after a hard-fought win over Cameron Norrie, but the match also highlighted a persistent problem in the sport.

Zverev dropped the opening set against the Briton, then answered with a strong surge to take the next two sets by identical 6-3 scorelines and close out the contest. Yet the result came only after the pair finished the final match on the main court’s order of play, pushing the contest deep into the night.

The match ended after 2am, a finish that should not be part of professional tennis. Both players were then still expected to handle press obligations and begin recovery work, leaving little room for rest. By the time they could realistically get to bed, it would likely have been around 5am at the earliest.

That kind of schedule is particularly concerning for Zverev, who is trying to navigate back-to-back Masters events before the US Open. He entered the Cincinnati Open as top seed, just as he had at the Canadian Open, and this kind of late finish could complicate his preparation for the season’s final Grand Slam.

Zverev now moves on to face Terence Atmane for a place in the fourth round. How he responds physically will be watched closely, because the demands of playing so late are difficult to ignore.

The broader issue is one of player welfare. Late-night finishes disrupt recovery, create unnecessary strain, and are unsustainable for both players and supporters. A curfew at ATP Tour tournaments would go a long way toward addressing a problem that should not be left unresolved.