Preview Cincinnati Open 2024 Men's Final: Will Sinner's hip hold out in crunch clash with Tiafoe?

At just after midnight CET, Jannik Sinner will face Frances Tiafoe in the final of the 2024 Cincinnati Open in the culmination of action for many ahead of the US Open. Our preview looks ahead to the men's final.

In this piece, we look ahead to the main talking points, storylines and Head to Head between the pair as well as their run to the final. For Sinner in particular, it depends on how his hip gets on.

The Italian has struggled since the clay season with his hip and despite making the final here looked injured during the semi-final clutching his hip a lot so it depends how it holds out.

For Sinner, it is a welcome run after a pretty poor summer. Most of it truthfully though hasn't been his doing. He couldn't play the Olympic Games due to illness and lost to Andrey Rublev last week who went on to be defeated in the final.

But great champions bounce back and he has done just that this week. He saw off Alex Michelsen in the opening round and with Jordan Thompson out of the picture due to a walkover, he went straight through to two three set ties with Rublev where he gained revenge and Zverev where he won in three narrow sets.

It was superb at times from Sinner but also doubts are there surrounding his hip. He admitted as much after he defeated Zverev. He can ill afford to have any doubts going into the US Open so the concern is there that he may see this issue flare up again. This in itself would play it into the hands of Tiafoe who is playing lights out tennis and would punish him to the hilt.

“For sure, sometimes I feel it,” he said. “I have to understand what exactly it is at the moment, because I feel like it’s a different small issue than it was before….It’s not bad. I’m not worried yet, so I’m happy to play.”

While form a player with doubts in one part of the final to one with no doubts about how well he is playing and contributing to his return to form. That being Frances Tiafoe who has long been yearning for the success that brought him his US Open heroics previously.

But he has been on a downward spiral more than an upward trajectory. He called some of the players he was losing to infamously clowns a few months ago and this was before his latest coaching change as he added David Witt who seems to have a desired effect on players wherever he goes.

Jessica Pegula had the American for some years for some of her best years and albeit she is into the final this week again under new coaches Mark Merklein and Mark Knowles, it was more of a change that was needed and one that saw Witt's stock rise.

He went on to Maria Sakkari from there and oddly this partnership barely last a few months. Sakkari got to the Quarter-Finals or better in every tournament she played up until the French Open where she lost in the opening round.

The Greek reached the Indian Wells final straight away and looked to be a partnership that paid dividends amid the end of her time with Tom Hill. Similar to Pegula, a partnership that needed new ideas and grew stale. But this allowed Tiafoe to poach him and it has worked.

“He [Witt] did an incredible job with Venus [Williams] and he did an unbelievable job with Jess [Pegula],” Tiafoe told Tennis Channel.

“He was open and I was looking for a while. Our personalities kind of fit – he’s super easy going, short information, but quality information and doesn’t try to over-coach.

“It’s been super easy right away, we’ve been getting along and having a great time. We’re both a little weird in a way with off-the-reel jokes and stuff like that.”

Only working together for a few weeks, his only bad week was Canada where he lost to Tabilo. He lost to Korda in Washington and now is into the final in Cincinnati so a semi-final and final in three weeks. Not bad going for a player who honestly has been in free fall in recent months. He has seen off tough competition easy in Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Lorenzo Musetti, Jiri Lehecka, Hubert Hurkacz by walkover and finally Holger Rune. He has shown grit when he has needed to especially against Rune.

A player searching for the success that made him a huge name in the sport, he seems to have found a golden formula with Witt only two weeks in and albeit he didn't have the final straight away like Pegula and Sakkari, there is certainly something in the water when it comes to Witt and Tiafoe is benefitting. A fans favourite, home hope and also a player well liked in the tennis fraternity, he is one that is deserving of success. But can he oust Sinner?

Head to Head wise would suggest no albeit without digging deeper. Sinner is 3-1 up albeit two of these wins came back in 2019 which for both was before any respective success. The fast courts seem to favour Sinner more. But Tiafoe's speed and strong serve may provide the antidote to that. Both guys are in similar condition having had gruelling third set tie-breakers.

So in reality, it sits on the racquet of Sinner and his hip. On a 100% form given day, Sinner should win. But he is not 100% so it provides a thrilling final and one certainly to watch. It is hard to pick a winner and going into the US Open, both will see their stock rise anyway.

With Alcaraz having a meltdown, Djokovic back training but not playing and others floundering, it is not only open on a WTA side but also ATP which makes a final like this so much fun.