In Mason, Ohio, the Cincinnati Open delivered a day of notable American success on the courts. Tommy Paul overcame a set deficit to defeat French Open champion Alexander Zverev, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, after a rain delay that pushed the second set back nearly 90 minutes. Paul’s comeback earned him a quarterfinal matchup against Italy’s Flavio Cobolli.
Jessica Pegula’s hard‑fought win
On the women’s side, Jessica Pegula secured a three‑set victory over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, marking her 43rd win of the 2026 season and the most on the WTA Tour this year. The win moves Pegula into her fourth Cincinnati quarterfinal, where she will meet fellow American Amanda Anisimova, who earlier defeated Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, 6-1, 6-4.
Fourth‑ranked Coco Gauff also advanced, beating Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 6-2 despite committing six double faults. Gauff, the 2023 champion, completed the match in just over an hour and a half.
Other American performances
Madison Keys became the fourth American woman in the quarterfinals with a 7-6, 6-4 win over Xiyu Wang, tying the 2004 record for most U.S. women in the Cincinnati quarterfinals. Taylor Fritz, the highest‑ranked American man remaining, defeated Australian Christopher O’Connell in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. Brandon Nakashima also progressed, beating Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, marking his second consecutive quarterfinal appearance.
International players continued to make headlines. Iga Swiatek extended her winning streak to nine matches with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over France’s Diane Perry and will face world No. 2 Elena Rybakina next. Marta Kostyuk rallied past Mirra Andreeva, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2, avenging a recent loss at Roland Garros. Italian Flavio Cobolli earned his first Cincinnati quarterfinal by beating Rafael Jodar, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Argentina’s Thiago Tirante, who upset Novak Djokovic in the second round, became the first Argentine to reach the Cincinnati quarters since Juan Martín del Potro in 2018, defeating Jakub Mensik 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
The tournament schedule experienced further rain delays, pushing the evening match between American Frances Tiafoe and women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka to later in the night.
Overall, the day highlighted a strong showing by U.S. players at one of the nation’s premier hard‑court events, setting the stage for compelling quarterfinal matchups.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
