Online Reporter
World number one Jannik Sinner has pulled out of the Cincinnati Open with a right knee injury, tournament organisers said on Sunday, handing the Italian a blow in his preparations for this month’s U.S. Open.
The 24-year-old Italian, who claimed his fifth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last month, had also pulled out of the Canadian Open, a key warm-up event for the U.S. Open.
Sinner won the Cincinnati title in 2024 and finished runner-up to seven-times Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz there last year.
“After consulting with my doctors and my team, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati,” Sinner said in a statement.
“My right knee has been bothering me and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready to compete yet. I’m very disappointed not to be able to play in Cincinnati… I can’t wait to be back next year and I’m now focusing on getting ready for the U.S. Open.” Sinner’s withdrawal further depletes the field in Cincinnati, with U.S. Open champion Alcaraz also sidelined by a wrist injury.
The Cincinnati Open main draw begins on August 13, while the U.S. Open main draw gets under way on August 30.
Meanwhile, Defending champion Ben Shelton poured cold water on the red-hot run of 19-year-old Joao Fonseca Sunday at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, where he defeated the Brazilian teenager 6-3, 7-6(3) to advance to the quarter-finals.
Neither player had dropped a set this week in Montreal, and Shelton maintained his streak in the fourth round, battling through windy conditions and an early break deficit in both sets to emerge victorious in one hour and 48 minutes.
“It was tough out there today and I competed well,” Shelton said. “It wasn’t easy conditions to play in. I struggled to find my footing on a lot of balls, as did he. A lot of it just comes down to grit in a match like this. So to come through with a win against a really high-quality player like Joao is huge for me.”
In an entertaining start, Shelton and Fonseca traded early breaks in the opening set before the American produced a sizzling forehand winner at 4-3, 15/30 that barely caught the line. Shelton, the No. 10 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, then earned a crucial break in the same game to move ahead 5-3, before sealing the set with a decisive hold. In the second set, Fonseca came flying out of the gate to take a 3-0 lead. At 3-1, however, the Brazilian appeared to tweak his right ankle before jumping to chase down an overhead as he tried to save a break point.
The misstep seemed to temporarily affect his movement, with Shelton later breaking back in the game, then levelling at 3-3. But Fonseca continued fighting to keep his chances alive.
While the Brazilian even saved a break point at 5-5, Shelton produced a watertight tie-break to eventually seal the win and notch his 30th victory of the season.
The American finished having won 78 per cent (35/45) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and also showed conviction in the forecourt, winning 14 of 18 points at net. — Reuters.
