World No. 1 Jannik Sinner secured his place in the Cincinnati Masters last 16 with a workmanlike 6-2, 7-6(5) victory over Canadian Gabriel Diallo (ATP No. 35) on Tuesday. Despite facing unexpected resistance on the Lindner Family Tennis Center hard courts, Sinner’s progression was never truly in doubt.
The Italian saved a set point with a powerful forehand during the second-set tiebreak. Sinner finished with 20 winners but an uncharacteristic 20 unforced errors, contrasting sharply with Diallo’s 51. “I didn’t always play well tonight; I struggled with my serve in some games,” Sinner admitted post-match before immediately heading to a practice court to fine-tune his delivery. He cited the value of tough matches for US Open preparation, noting, “I need complicated matches to face different situations… it’s essential for a Slam.”
Sinner, who turns 24 this Saturday, extended his hard-court winning streak to 23 matches – joining Federer, Nadal, Murray, and Djokovic as the only players since 2000 to achieve such a run. He next faces French veteran Adrian Mannarino (ATP No. 89), who upset American Tommy Paul (ATP No. 16) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Sinner holds a 3-0 career record over the 37-year-old left-hander. The scheduling for Wednesday’s match remains uncertain due to a tournament-wide technical blackout.
In other results:
– Luca Nardi (ATP No. 98) advanced when Czech opponent Jakub Mensik (ATP No. 17) retired with Nardi leading 6-2, 2-1.
– Carlos Alcaraz booked his last-16 spot with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic (ATP No. 72) and will meet Nardi next.
– Jasmine Paolini reached the WTA 1000 last 16 with a 7-6(?), 6-1 victory over American Ashlyn Krueger (WTA No. 35) after a rain delay.
– Lorenzo Sonego’s run ended with a 7-6(?), 7-5 loss to American Taylor Fritz (ATP No. 4), who became the sole player to reach the last 16 at all four hard-court Masters events this year.