Event of the Day: The Cincinnati Masters

Our event of the day is the opening day of the Cincinnati Masters at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre on the ATP and WTA World Tour. For many, this will be their final tournament before the US Open gets underway at Flushing Meadows in two weeks time. Andy Murray has been handed a wildcard for the event as he continues his comeback from injury. The former world number one was hugely emotional after his last 16 victory at the Citi Open. He went on to withdraw from the Washington tournament and the Rogers Cup in order to focus on the Cincinnati Masters. The Briton’s opponent is the young Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who is seeded sixteenth. Three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka has also been handed a wildcard as he works his way back to full fitness. The Swiss star faces twelfth seed Diego Schwartzman from Argentina. There’s a tasty all-American encounter to look forward to, as ninth seed John Isner taking on 2017 Wimbledon semi-finalist Sam Querrey in what should be a highly entertaining showdown. With tennis giants Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro among the big names to be receive byes into the second round, this really is a tournament where all the top tennis talent will be on display. 

In the women’s draw, Serena Williams will play her first match since withdrawing from the Rogers Cup due to personal reasons. She suffered her worst career defeat at the Silicon Valley Classic in August, but will hope to recapture the form that saw her reach this year’s Wimbledon final, just nine months after giving birth. The twenty-three-time grand slam champion plays Australian Daria Gavrilova. Johanna Konta, who inflicted Williams’ Silicon Valley Classic defeat, faces Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. A high-quality week of tennis awaits!