Alcaraz wins in Cincinnati after Sinner retires

Carlos Alcaraz claimed the Cincinnati Open title in just over 20 minutes yesterday after world number one Jannik Sinner was forced to retire in the first set due to illness.

Sinner, who was facing Alcaraz in a final for the fourth time this year and the first time since her Wimbledon triumph, fell behind 5-0 in the first set with nine unforced errors. She was seen with an ice pack on her head during a break and retired after just 22 minutes of play.

"It's not the way I want to win matches and trophies," Alcaraz said at the awards ceremony. "I'm sorry and I understand that you may not be feeling well."

The Italian, who turned 24 last Saturday, came into the match on a 12-match winning streak, in addition to 26 consecutive victories on hard courts. Sinner was attempting to become the first player to win back-to-back Cincinnati Open men's titles since Roger Federer in 2014 and 2015.

“I'm so sorry for disappointing you,” Sinner said, addressing the crowd in his speech. “Since yesterday (Sunday), I haven't felt well. I thought I might improve overnight, but I got worse. I tried to get some play out of the match, but I couldn't,” the top-ranked player clarified. “Sometimes things are like that, and you have to accept it,” he added.

Alcaraz, the world number two, held a 9-5 lead in the head-to-head matchup with Sinner. He also claimed his eighth career Masters 1000 title and a total of 22 on tour.

Sinner won the Wimbledon final in four sets, while the 22-year-old Spaniard triumphed in a thrilling five-set match at the French Open and in straight sets at the Rome Masters last May.

“You're a true champion, and I'm sure you'll come back stronger from this situation because you always do, and that's what champions like you do,” Alcaraz told his opponent.

It was only the third time the two best players in men's tennis met in the Cincinnati Open final. The last time was the duel between number two Novak Djokovic and number one Alcaraz in 2022, and the clash between number one Federer and number two Djokovic in 2012.

Queen in Cincinnati

Poland's Iga Swiatek won the Cincinnati Open title last night, defeating Italy's Jasmine Paolini 7-5, 6-4.

Swiatek has won all six matches against the Italian, dropping only one set in those matches.

Paolini, the seventh seed in the tournament, opened with a 3-0 lead in the first set, but third-seeded Swiatek turned it around to take a 5-3 lead.

The Italian broke serve to tie the match at 5-5, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Pole from winning the first set in 56 minutes.

With her eighth ace of the match, Swiatek took a 5-3 lead in the second set. Paolini broke twice and closed to within 5-4, but Swiatek managed to close out the match with her 24th career singles title.

Swiatek reached the semifinals in Cincinnati the last two years, but lost to eventual champions Coco Gauff in 2023 and Aryna Sabalenka in 2024.

Paolini, for her part, is the first Italian to reach the final in Cincinnati. Since 2023, she has reached two Grand Slam singles finals, won a major doubles title, and also an Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024.

The Cincinnati Open is considered a warm-up for the U.S. Open, which begins this Sunday in New York.

In the last two years, both the men's and women's champions of the Cincinnati Open have won the final Grand Slam tournament of the year.— AP