Cincinnati Titles for Alcaraz and Świątek

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, ranked world No. 2, was crowned champion of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 for the first time in his career after world No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy withdraw at the end of the first set while trailing 0-5 due to exhaustion. Poland’s Iga Świątek followed suit by defeating Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 7-5, 6-4.

Alcaraz captured his eighth Masters 1000 title, adding to his five Grand Slam trophies, including Roland Garros in Paris earlier this June against Sinner himself.

The Spaniard also strengthened his lead for most wins this ATP season, reaching 54 victories. He now leads their head-to-head 9-5 overall, and 5-2 on hard courts.

Alcaraz quickly broke his opponent’s serve in the opening game, capitalizing on four unforced errors from the Italian to go up 1-0, then held his serve for 2-0 before breaking again to extend his lead to 3-0.

He continued his complete dominance in the first set by taking the fourth game for 4-0, then broke Sinner again in the fifth—helped by a double fault from the Italian—for 5-0.

Trailing 0-5 in the first set, the world No. 1 took a medical timeout after which he decided to withdraw from the final, handing his rival his first title at the American tournament.

After requesting medical attention, Sinner said: “Sorry guys, I can’t. I tried but I can’t. I feel terrible. I can’t move, I feel like I’m going to collapse. I apologize to the fans.”

Alcaraz responded: “Take care of yourself, that’s the most important thing.”

Sinner once again apologized to the crowd after the match, explaining that he had begun to feel unwell on Sunday: “Since yesterday, I haven’t felt good. I thought I would feel better overnight, but it only got worse. I tried to at least make it a short match, but I couldn’t handle any more.”

The defending champion expressed sympathy for his rival: “I’m sure you’ll come back from this stronger than before. That’s what true champions always do.”

This was the fourth final between the two this season, after the Rome Masters and Roland Garros, both won by Alcaraz, and Wimbledon, where Sinner triumphed.

Świątek Claims Her First Title

In the women’s draw, Świątek, ranked world No. 3, lifted her maiden Cincinnati trophy by defeating Paolini 7-5, 6-4.

The match, which lasted nearly two hours, was filled with break-point chances for both players, but it was the Pole who prevailed, converting six out of ten opportunities to seal the victory without dropping a single set throughout the tournament.

It was Świątek’s 11th WTA 1000 title, leaving her just two short of the record held by American legend Serena Williams.

Paolini started strongly, racing to a 3-0 lead, but the Pole responded by winning five consecutive games to go up 5-3.

The Italian managed to level at 5-5 by breaking back in the tenth game, but Świątek had the final say by breaking again in the twelfth game to take the first set 7-5.

The two players traded breaks early in the second set before Świątek closed it out in her favor.

Świątek said: “Winning here in Cincinnati is always tough. This gives me a huge confidence boost. I’m happy with the work we’ve been doing—my team convinced me to play differently and I’m glad I did, and that I closed it out in straight sets.”

Świątek now has 24 career titles, and the Wimbledon champion will enter the US Open—the season’s final Grand Slam starting next Sunday—full of confidence.

She also reduced the gap at the top of the world rankings to 500 points behind Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, meaning the No. 1 spot will be up for grabs at the American major, which the Pole previously won in 2022.

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