Djokovic ousted from Cincinnati Open as Zverev advances

Novak Djokovic has been eliminated from the second round of the Cincinnati Open after suffering a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Argentina’s Thiago Tirante. The match, played under punishing heat and humidity, lasted more than two and a half hours and marked the first time the 24-time Grand Slam champion has lost since his exit in the Wimbledon semifinals more than a month ago.

The sweltering conditions significantly impacted Djokovic’s performance. After taking the opening set, the Serb struggled as temperatures rose, leading to visible distress during the second set. He was bent over between points and dropped to his hands and knees after a gruelling exchange, prompting a medical timeout where physiotherapists and a doctor attended to him on court.

Djokovic, who won the Cincinnati title in 2023, acknowledged the environmental factors contributed to his exit. “It was a combination of the heat and humidity, all those things,” he said. “Everything involved makes it worse.” He admitted that the experience might be his last appearance at the tournament, stating, “It looks like I won’t be back, unfortunately, to play here.”

In the men’s draw, top-seeded Alexander Zverev advanced to the next round with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Britain’s Cameron Norrie. The match, which ended at 2:15am, lasted two hours and 45 minutes. Zverev, the French Open champion and winner of the Cincinnati title five years ago, saved six break points in the opening game of the deciding set before breaking Norrie twice to secure the win.

“I needed to get a match rhythm,” Zverev said. “The confidence was not there after Canada. The first set was not great, but the other two were at a high level, and I’m happy about that.” Norrie, who has now lost all eight of his matches against Zverev, had wrapped up the opening set before the German began to find his footing.

Tirante secured the biggest win of his career, defeating the world’s fifth-ranked player. “I managed the nerves of playing a legend like Novak. It was all so much pressure,” Tirante said. Djokovic must now regroup before the US Open begins on 30 August.

In the women’s draw, Philippines sensation Alexandra Eala advanced to the third round after Elena-Gabriela Ruse retired due to an ankle injury during a weather delay. Eala, who recently won her first WTA title in Washington, DC, will next face ninth-seeded American Amanda Anisimova. Other notable advances included Maja Chwalinska and Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova, while local favourite Payton Stearns suffered a defeat to Clara Tauson.