Carlos Alcaraz won his first Cincinnati Open title following world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, his strong nemesis, being unable to continue their highly awaited final as a result of illness with a 0-5 deficit in the first set.
Sinner, who looked ill from the beginning, afterward announced he had been ill since Sunday. "I'm super sorry to let you down," the Italian explained. "Yesterday I didn't feel well. I hoped to get better overnight. It came up worse. I tried to come out and at least make a small game but I couldn't take more. I'm very, very sorry to you all."
The match had been contested in the extreme conditions of 31°C (87°F) heat and 57% humidity that both players had endured through the previous rounds. Sinner was off from the beginning, growing progressively worse as he dropped five games. He started with a poor service game, missing three of his first four first serves, giving Alcaraz an early break. Set on making points brief, Sinner made unforced errors and his movement was poor, with a red face and laboring strokes.
Alcaraz, who has had issues in the past with ill opponents like Alexander Zverev, did not let up and gave no free points. When Sinner asked for the trainer after losing 0-4, he eventually retired after a double fault left him trailing 0-5.
The two hugged at the net, with Alcaraz consoling Sinner on the bench. Sinner had said he tried to play for the crowd, and Alcaraz responded by saying, "Don't worry at all."
Two years before, Alcaraz had seen his epic Cincinnati final go down the drain to Novak Djokovic in a match regarded as one of the greatest ever three-set matches. In his post-win interview, Alcaraz did admit to the extraordinary circumstances: "As you said, Jannik, this is not the way I want to win matches, to win the trophy… You always do – that's what true champions do. You really are one. Sorry and come back stronger."
At the age of 22, Alcaraz has now won eight ATP Masters 1000 titles, equalled only by Rafael Nadal to achieve the feat at such a young age. Sinner's retirement brought his 26-match hard-court winning streak to an end.
In the women's singles, third-seeded Iga Swiatek beat No. 7 Jasmine Paolini 7-5, 6-4 to claim the title of the Cincinnati Open. Swiatek has won all six of her encounters against Paolini and lost only one set in those meetings.
Paolini built a 3-0 lead in the first set, but Swiatek came back to be up 5-3. Paolini tied at 5-5, but Swiatek won the first set at 56 minutes. Swiatek's eighth ace in the second set put her up 5-3. Paolini broke twice to close to 5-4, but Swiatek held to take her 24th career singles title.
Swiatek had never progressed beyond the semifinals of the six times she had played Cincinnati before, defeating Coco Gauff in 2023 and Aryna Sabalenka in 2024. Paolini, the inaugural Italian woman to make a Cincinnati final, has experienced an incredible journey since qualifying in 2023, reaching two Grand Slam singles finals, claiming a Grand Slam doubles title, and winning an Olympic gold medal.
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