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.

Rafael Nadal and his wife Maria Francisca Perello have announced the birth of their second child. The couple welcomed a son on August 7 at the Quirónsalud Palmaplanas Hospital in Palma. Mery, as she is widely known, gave birth on Thursday in Malloca to son, whom they have named Miquel; both mother and child were doing well and left the hospital a day later.

The arrival expands a family that began with the birth of Rafael Nadal Junior in October 2022. The couple announced in April 2025 that they were expecting a second child. Spanish media report the new baby was named Miquel after Mery’s father, who died in April 2023 at the age of 63 following a long illness.

Nadal’s public life in recent seasons mixed family appearances with farewell moments on court. The 22-time Grand Slam winner, who started dating Mery in 2005 before they married in 2019, retired in October last year following two decades as a professional player. He has spoken often about parenthood, telling E! News: “Everything surprises you because everything is new.” He expanded on that reflection: “Especially the first child you have, everything is 100 per cent new for my wife and for me. You learn every day and every day is unexpected.

“I have always been a kids guy. I always enjoyed spending time with the kids, I had plenty of smaller cousins than me so I had a lot of fun with them when they were babies. I can say nothing negative.”

Rafa Nadal Junior has accompanied his parents to several tournaments in Australia, the United States, Italy and France, with the French Open and the Paris Olympics among notable appearances. Nadal played his last French Open match in 2024 with Mery and Rafa Jr in the stands; a few months later the family returned to Paris when he was part of the Opening Ceremony as a torch bearer.

Nadal retired from tennis at the 2024 Davis Cup in Malaga and paid tribute to his family during a special ceremony: “My wife, Mery, we’ve been together for 19 years. Thank you for everything you’ve done. I think you’ve been the perfect partner on this journey throughout all these years of my career.

“Coming home every day and seeing my son grow has been a source of strength that has truly kept me alive and given me the energy to keep going.” Tournament organisers honoured the 14-time Roland Garros champion again at Roland Garros in May 2025 following his retirement.

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.