The Cincinnati Open continues this week as Alex Zverev faces Karen Khachanov while Lorenzo Musetti goes up against France Tiafoe in the round of 32. Damien Kayat previews.
2024 ATP Tour – ATP 1000
Cincinnati Open
Lindner Family Tennis Centre
Selected Ro32 matches – 15 August
Alex Zverev 27/100 | Karen Khachanov 26/10
This has the potential to be a fascinating round of 32 clash. Alex Zverev has enjoyed an extremely consistent campaign on all surfaces, compiling a formidable 49-15 record for the season thus far. He has reached the semifinal stage or better in seven events this year.
He has looked dangerous at Grand Slam level, reaching the semis in Melbourne before that gut-wrenching runner-up finish in Paris. He secured a 6th career Masters title in Rome but he has suffered a few dispiriting defeats in recent weeks. He lost to lower-ranked Fils in the German Open final before being dumped out of the Paris Olympics in the quarterfinal stage.
He was hoodwinked by a resurgent Seb Korda in Montreal last week and will be looking to regain his recent dominant aura in Cincinnati. The German has thrived on these surfaces in the past, winning the 2021 title and reaching the semifinals last season.
Zverev has become a serving behemoth this season, serving an average of nine aces a match and winning 75% on his first delivery.
This has been a really frustrating year for 28-year-old Karen Khachanov. The Russian baseliner has been an established part of the top 15 in the world rankings over the last few years, winning six career titles and becoming a powerful presence in Grand Slam tennis (reaching the semifinals in Melbourne and New York).
And he started this year in really respectable fashion, reaching the 4th round of the Aussie Open before securing that 6th title in Qatar. But his form has nosedived considerably since then and he entered this tournament after his worst back-to-back defeats of the season (losing to Hong in Cincinnati and Arnaldi in Montreal).
But he looked back to something resembling his best in his first-round win over Cerundolo, winning 77% of his first-serve points in an imperious 6-0, 6-3 win.
The Verdict: Zverev to win in straight sets 81/100
This has actually been a really engrossing head-to-head rivalry, with Zverev leading the Russian 4-2. The German beat the Russian in straight sets at this year’s Miami Masters and he will feel confident of riding that serve to another comfortable win.
Khachanov is all over the map at present and I can’t see him troubling the Zverev delivery.
Lorenzo Musetti 71/100 | France Tiafoe 11/10
Lorenzo Musetti has probably been the breakout star on this year’s ATP Tour, ensuring that World No.1 Jannik Sinner isn’t the lone Italian success story in men’s tennis.
He really burst into life during the grass-court swing, reaching the semifinals in Stuttgart before a brilliant runner-up finish in Queens. But few- myself excluded- could have predicted the impact he would have at SW19. Musetti utilized his multi-faceted game to perfection at Wimbledon, reaching the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
He finished runner-up in Croatia before becoming the first Italian tennis player to win an Olympic medal in 100 years, securing the bronze medal with victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime in Paris.
This has been an insane two-month stretch for Musetti and you can forgive him for feeling a little jaded. He needed to call on all his willpower to overcome a spirited Jarry in his opener. He served poorly against Jarry, winning just 60% of his first-serve points (throwing in five double-faults for good measure).
This has been a really disappointing campaign for hard-hitting American Frances Tiafoe. Lest we forget, he was ranked in the top ten in the world going into last year’s Wimbledon Championships (he is currently sitting 27th in the current live ATP rankings).
Tiafoe has reserved his best tennis for American audiences this season, reaching the semifinals in Delray Beach before a runner-up finish in Houston. He probably had the best week of his season in Washington, beating top seed Andrey Rublev en route to another semifinal finish. He was ousted in the early stages of Montreal by Tabilo but he bounced back in style in his Cincinnati opener, overcoming a jittery serving performance to beat Davidovich Fokina in straight sets.
The Verdict: Tiafoe to win in straight sets 51/20
This has been an extremely tight rivalry, with Tiafoe and Musetti sharing the head-to-head spoils at two wins apiece. I really think that Tiafoe could be a nice dark horse contender during this whole North American hardcourt swing.
He beat Rublev in straight sets in Washington and his brand of first-strike tennis could overwhelm Musetti. The Italian looked really leggy in his opener and I think he is vulnerable to Tiafoe’s ultra-aggressive approach.
