The main draw of the 2018 edition of the Cincinnati Open will begin from Monday, August 13 and some of the best known players take to court to fine-tune their preparations for the US Open. Below we have the Cincinnati Open draw, brackets and potential quarter-final and semi-final opponents for the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and the others.
Rafael Nadal:
Nadal, the world number one and the top seed, gets a first round bye along with the other seven top seeds, and his first seeded opponent could be in the form of Kyle Edmund in round three. The quarter-finals could be an interesting affair, especially if Novak Djokovic can shrug off his poor campaign at the Rogers Cup where he was blown away early in the competition.
Also in his half of the Cincinnati Open draw are third seeded Alexander Zverev and Marin Cilic, two potential semi-finalists and opponents of different style for Nadal.
Roger Federer:
Seeded second and after having withdrawn from the Rogers Cup, Federer has a relatively easier draw than Nadal. He doesn’t face Nadal (obviously!), Djokovic or Zverev until he gets to the final, while Juan Martin del Potro will become an opponent only if both reach the semi-finals.
His first tough match could come as early as in round three against wild-card entrant Andy Murray, but for that the Brit will need to defeat Lucas Pouille in round one and a possible Leonardo Mayer in the second round.
Federer’s projected quarter-final opponent is the eighth seeded Thiem and one of Wimbledon vanquisher Kevin Anderson or del Potro might face him in the semi-finals.
Novak Djokovic:
The Serb Wimbledon winner has been seeded 10th and after having fallen early at the Rogers Cup, he will hope he can turn things around. Djokovic faces Steve Johnson in round one according to the Cincinnati Open draw and should not have too many difficulties in round two either when he takes on either Adrian Mannarino or Marco Ceccinato – the latter having reached the French Open semi-finals.
Djokovic’s first real test could be in the form of Dimitrov, the 2017 Cincinnati Open champion, in round three and from there on life goes spirallingly tough – Nadal in the quarter-finals, Zverev or Cilic in the semis and a possible Federer showdown in the final.
Other Players:
Zverev, seeded third, could play 13th seeded Pablo Carreno Busta in round three, one of John Isner or Marin Cilic in the quarter-final and either Nadal or Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Simona Halep, the top women’s seed, faces Ash Barty in round three, Jelena Ostapenko or Garbine Muguruza in the quarter-finals and a possible Caroline Garcia or Angelique Kerber in the semis.
Second seeded Caroline Wozniacki could be up against Naomi Osaka in round three, and fifth seeded Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals, unless the latter gets defeated in round three by Daria Kasaktina.