Did Alcaraz Secure His First Cincinnati Title After Sinner Retired?

Cincinnati, Aug 19 (NationPress) Carlos Alcaraz clinched his sixth title of the season at the Cincinnati Open on Monday after his fierce competitor Jannik Sinner was compelled to retire early in the first set during their championship match. The final lasted a mere 23 minutes as the top-ranked and top-seeded Sinner was unable to continue due to illness. Just five games into the encounter, the Italian alerted chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani that he could not proceed. The final score of 5-0, ret., marks Alcaraz's eighth ATP Masters 1000 title in his career.

As the defending champion, Sinner aimed to become the first player since Roger Federer in 2014-15 to achieve back-to-back titles here. This incident is only the second time in the Open Era that a player has retired in the Cincinnati men’s final; Novak Djokovic was forced to retire in 2013 due to a shoulder injury while trailing, 6-4, 3-0.

This title represents Alcaraz’s first triumph in Cincinnati. In 2023, he missed a championship point against Djokovic, losing a grueling match that lasted three hours and 49 minutes, which remains the longest best-of-three-sets final in ATP Tour history. He is now the third Spaniard to secure the men’s title, following Carlos Moya (2002) and Rafael Nadal (2013).

“After the third game, I noticed that he wasn’t feeling well at all,” Alcaraz remarked. “I know him. We’ve been competing for two years, having remarkable matches and great battles. I recognized his style and game. I saw he was being more aggressive than usual and missing more frequently. It felt quite strange from him. His body language didn’t seem positive either.”

“It’s not how I wish to win matches or trophies. I can’t express anything you don’t know, but as I’ve said many times, you are genuinely a champion. I’m confident that from this situation, you will return even stronger. That’s what true champions do,” Alcaraz added.

By securing his third ATP Masters 1000 title of the season, following victories in Monte-Carlo and Rome, Alcaraz extended his winning streak at this level to 17 matches. With his 22nd tour-level trophy, he solidified his quest for the Year-End No. 1 ranking he last held in 2022. He leads Sinner by 1,890 points in the ATP Live Race To Turin, as per ATP statistics.

The defeat ends Sinner's 26-match winning streak on hard courts, and he now faces a swift recovery ahead of his US Open title defense. The World No. 1's participation in the mixed doubles event, where he is set to partner with Katerina Siniakova on Tuesday, is now uncertain.

With a Tour-leading 54 wins and six titles in 2025, Alcaraz is heading to the US Open, which could have significant implications in his battle with Sinner for the World No. 1 position.

Alcaraz now holds 13 Big Titles—a combination of Grand Slam championships, trophies at the Nitto ATP Finals, and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, along with Olympic singles gold medals—and has claimed eight ATP Masters 1000 trophies, trailing only Novak Djokovic (40) among active players.

Interestingly, in the past two years, the Cincinnati champion has gone on to win the US Open.