Maryland native Frances Tiafoe is the No. 10 seed at the event and will join the top players on the ATP Tour as they make their final preparations ahead of the US Open. So without further ado, let’s go through a preview of the tournament so you can know who to wager on at your chosen Maryland gambling site.
What is the Western and Southern Open?
The Western and Southern Open is an ATP 1000 event held annually in Mason, Ohio, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center with prize money totaling $6.6 million.
The Western and Southern Open champion receives $1.09 million in prize money and 1000 ATP points, while the runner-up takes home a cool $556,630 and 600 ATP points.
Western and Southern Open Top Seeds
Barring any last-minute withdrawal, the top seeds for the Western and Southern ATP 1000 are as follows.
- Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
- Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
- Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)
- Casper Rudd (Norway)
- Holger Rune (Denmark)
- Andrey Rublev (Russia)
- Jannik Sinner (Italy)
- Taylor Fritz (USA)
- Frances Tiafoe (USA)
- Karen Khachanov (Russia)
- Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada)
- Cameron Norrie (Great Britain)
- Tommy Paul (USA)
- Borna Coric (Croatia)
- Alexander Zverev (Germany)
Checking in on Frances Tiafoe
Big Foe is the 10th seed here and will enter the week as the 10th-best player in the world. Still, his quarterfinal loss in Washington to eventual champion Dan Evans and his first-round loss to Milos Raonic in Toronto has left the Maryland native searching for answers.
Tiafoe has never made it past the 3rd round in 10 tries at this event, but he has points to defend at the US Open, and Cincy would be a great place for him to get on track.
Phil’s Tournament Notes
No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz exploded on the scene by winning the 2022 US Open and hasn’t taken his foot off of the gas ever since. He took his second major by defeating Djokovic in a thrilling Wimbledon finale and is currently 48-5 this season, entering his Thursday match against Hubert Hurkacz in Toronto.
World No. 2 and second-seed Novak Djokovic is expected to play his first event since losing the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz. Joker is a two-time champion here and boasts a 679-123 career record on the hardcourts.
No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev is always trouble on the cement and could be in for a nice run here. His surprising run to the Wimbledon semis was the kick in the pants the Russian needed. He’s 45-13 on the hard stuff this season, and I expect him to do well next week.
No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas began his summer hardcourt season with a bang, winning Los Cabos but suffered a first-round loss in Toronto to France’s Gael Monfils. Spotty results seem to be the norm with the Greek national, but he’s won 70% of his hard-court matches this year.
No. 6 seed Holger Rune had a hot run to end his 2022 hardcourt season, winning Stockholm and the Paris Masters but has had sketchy hardcourt results ever since with a second-round loss to Marcus Giron in Toronto. Rune is a dangerous player, but his spotty results could open him to a possible early exit in Cincy.
No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz is hotter than fish grease, going 9-1 post-Wimbledon, including a championship in Atlanta and reaching the semis in Washington. He reached the quarters last year and is a dangerous player with a big serve and solid strokes from both wings.
No. 16 seed and defending champion Borna Coric has a mountain of points to defend here, but his results on hardcourts have been spotty. He’ll be dangerous at this event and boasts a 25-14 record on the cement over the past 52 weeks.
Possible early round upsets could include;
No. 5 seed Casper Ruud is not known for his hardcourt prowess or desire to play in hot, humid conditions. He’ll see both in Cincinnati.
No. 11 seed Karen Khachanov hasn’t played since suffering an injury at Roland Garros, and he could be rusty. He could lose early and will be a good favorite to pick on next week.
No. 12 seed Felix Auger-Alliasime has really struggled this season. The Canadien is 6-10 over his last 16 matches and enters Cincy on a five-match losing streak.
No. 13 Cam Norrie is another struggling player. Norrie has dropped four of his last five matches and doesn’t seem to have an answer these days.
Early Round American Underdogs
The Western and Southern Open is a well-attended event with a large pro-American fan base. These are good spots to play the underdog. American players Sebastian Korda, Christopher Eubanks, Ben Shelton, J.J. Wolf, and potential qualifiers Mackenzie MacDonald, Brandon Nakashima, and Marcus Giron could all pull off upsets.
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