Carlos Alcaraz’s push to return to competition has been interrupted again, with his place at next week’s Cincinnati Open now off the table and his US Open status left uncertain.

The Spaniard has not appeared in a match since suffering a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April. That setback forced him out of both the French Open and Wimbledon, although he had still hoped to restart in Cincinnati, where he is the defending champion.

Recent images of Alcaraz striking balls with increasing intensity had encouraged talk that a comeback could be close. Those hopes faded on Tuesday night when Cincinnati officials confirmed his withdrawal in a brief statement.

“Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open,” read the official statement. “Wishing all the best to our 2025 champion in his recovery process. Can’t wait to welcome you next year!”

Tournament director Bob Moran also addressed the development. “We know Carlos is doing everything he can to get back to playing tournaments as soon as possible.”

“We wish him the best with his recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to Cincinnati in the future.”

The next question is whether Alcaraz will be ready for the US Open, where he has 2,000 ranking points to defend after defeating Jannik Sinner in last year’s final at Flushing Meadows. His name has not yet appeared on the growing list for the mixed doubles event held the week before the main draw, which adds to the uncertainty around his schedule.

Former British No 1 Greg Rusedski believes Alcaraz will need to prove himself in Cincinnati to have any realistic chance of lining up in New York.

“To have any chance to play at the US Open, he’s gotta play Cincinnati,” he declared on the edition of his Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast.

“If he doesn’t play Cincinnati, we know the US Open isn’t gonna happen and he’s been away from the game for very, very long time.

“He’s got to be smart with it because the fact he’s got to get his volume up to a certain level and you don’t want to rush it back too much.

“The 12-day event in Cincinnati might actually help him because the fact that he can have a few more breaks in between matches, but this is still a huge question mark.

“It’s not like you’re playing a two-out-of-three major. So for the women’s, it’s a little bit easier because when you go into the majors, it’s like a regular week with a guaranteed day off every week is two out of three sets. To make the jump up to three out of five sets is tough for the men.”

Alex Eala’s rise on the WTA Tour moved into a new phase with her first title at the Washington Open.

The breakthrough had been building for some time. Eala had already collected two WTA 125 Challenger titles, but her run in Washington offered a more forceful statement that she can compete with the best on the sport’s biggest stages.

Her path to the trophy was especially impressive. In the WTA 500 event, Eala defeated Jessica Pegula in the final and also beat Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, Leylah Fernandez, and Qinwen Zheng in the United States capital. It was a title run built on major wins and sustained quality from start to finish.

That success has already pushed her to world No 20 in the WTA rankings, and there is scope for that position to climb further during the North American hardcourt swing. She is defending only 70 ranking points before the end of the US Open, which gives her a strong platform to keep adding points if her current level continues.

Eala has drawn praise from several prominent figures, including Rafael Nadal, and her coach, Joan Bosch, has now added his own voice. As reported by Dyan Castillejo on Instagram, Bosch said: “I can tell you that I’m super happy because this was the goal of the year. She could do it, she deserves it.

“She came back from yesterday’s tough match,” he added. “ Jessica Pegula was playing amazing. Alex is a very good champion and she deserves this win.”

Bosch has been part of Eala’s journey since her time at the Rafael Nadal Academy. His background includes close work with Nadal there, seven years alongside former world No 1 Carlos Moya, and earlier coaching experience with Jaume Munar before he became established on the ATP Tour.

Eala’s recent form suggests this may only be the beginning. In the last three months, she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, won the Birmingham Open, lifted the Washington Open trophy, and made the semi finals of the Berlin Open. If she carries that momentum into the US Open, she will arrive with real belief.

Carlos Alcaraz is nearing his return to competition at the Cincinnati Open, and the ATP Tour has handed him a useful advantage before he even plays a match.

The Spaniard has been out since suffering a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April. That setback forced him to miss Roland Garros, Wimbledon and three Masters events. He has since entered both the Cincinnati Open and the US Open, and recent social media footage has shown him hitting balls with real power as his comeback draws closer.

Alcaraz had slipped to world No 3 after Alexander Zverev’s victory at Roland Garros and Alcaraz’s own final appearance at Wimbledon. Even so, he has now climbed back to world No 2 without competing in recent days.

The reason is a scheduling change. The Canadian Open has been moved up by a week, which means Zverev has lost the 360 points he collected from the 2025 event. Alcaraz did not play the Canadian Open last year, so he has not had any points to defend there and has risen in the rankings without stepping onto court.

At the moment, Jannik Sinner leads the ATP Tour top three on 13,450 points, with Alcaraz on 8160 and Zverev on 8090. The gap between Alcaraz and Zverev is only 70 points, and Zverev is likely to make up some of that during the Canadian Open. But it will not come in time to change the Cincinnati seedings.

That is the key detail for Alcaraz. Because the Cincinnati cut-off comes before the Canadian Open finishes, he will remain the second seed in Cincinnati. That should place him on the opposite side of the draw from Sinner and keep the world No 1 out of his path until the final, at the earliest.

It is a significant lift for Alcaraz as he prepares for his first tournament in five months. He is also defending the full 1000 points from his 2025 Cincinnati title, so a strong run will be essential if he wants to stay at world No 2.