Cincinnati Open 2026: Sinner and Alcaraz Both Out, Draper Falls on Day One, and the No. 1 Race Heats Up

by Geoffrey Ejiga | by Geoffrey Ejiga

image Cincinnati Open 2026: Sinner and Alcaraz Both Out, Draper Falls on Day One, and the No. 1 Race Heats Up
The two biggest names in men's tennis are both missing from Cincinnati. Jannik Sinner pulled out with a right knee problem, extending a break from competition that stretches back to Wimbledon in July. Carlos Alcaraz, who won the men's title last year when Sinner retired in the final, is still recovering from the wrist injury that has kept him out since mid-April. Day one brought an early British exit as Jack Draper fell to Martin Landaluce in straight sets, while Cameron Norrie battled through. On the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are locked in a live fight for the world No. 1 ranking.
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Two Champions Out, and One Title Defense That Cannot Happen

Sinner has not played since winning Wimbledon and skipped the Canadian Open before withdrawing from the 2026 Cincinnati Open on August 9, citing a right knee issue. His US Open preparation now consists of a single Grand Slam title and a five-week gap with no match play, which is a lot of confidence to place in his own fitness.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, has not competed since the Barcelona Open in mid-April, when his right wrist forced him to shut down the rest of the clay and grass seasons.

The Spaniard had been expected to use Cincinnati as his comeback event, but pulled out on August 4. And now, the 1,000 ranking points he earned by winning the title here last year will drop off, which could reshape the US Open seedings.

Iga Swiatek, the defending women's champion, is the only titleholder actually playing. She is seeded seventh after dropping to world No. 8 over a difficult season, and she won Toronto last week to arrive with some real momentum.

Day One: Draper Out, Norrie Through, Rain Delays

All 32 seeds had first-round byes, so Thursday's action was limited to the round of 128. The headline result was Jack Draper's loss to Spain's Martin Landaluce, 6-3, 7-5:

  • Draper had led 5-2 in the second set and held six set points across the next three games, but Landaluce saved every one of them.
  • He finished with 12 double faults and close to 50 unforced errors in a performance that reflected how little match time he has had since returning from injury.

Cameron Norrie came through 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 against Dino Prizmic and now faces top seed Alexander Zverev in the second round. But he trails their head-to-head 0-7.

Men's Draw: Zverev and Djokovic Lead the Field

Alexander Zverev playing tennis

Roland Garros champion, Zverev, is the top seed after both Sinner and Alcaraz with Drew. And Novak Djokovic, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist, is seeded third.

Meanwhile, Ben Shelton, who defended his Canadian Open title on August 13 by beating Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6, arrives in Cincinnati with back-to-back Masters 1000 crowns.

As for Taylor Fritz, he enters as the Washington Open champion after beating Rafael Jodar in last week's final 7-6, 6-4.

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Women's Draw: Sabalenka vs. Rybakina for No. 1

On the women's side, Sabalenka is the top seed and Rybakina comes in as second.

The two are separated by a thin margin in the live WTA rankings, and the results here could flip the No. 1 position before the US Open draw is made.

Jessica Pegula (third seed) and Coco Gauff (fourth) fill out the top quarter. What's more, Alexandra Eala, who won the Washington Open WTA title to become the first Filipina WTA singles champion, is seeded 17th.

Interestingly, Venus Williams accepted a wildcard and could face Swiatek in the round of 64. But unfortunately, Emma Raducanu has withdrawn with a stress fracture and will also miss the US Open.