Preview / Schedule 2024 Cincinnati Open Day Three - Wednesday 14 August including Sinner, Swiatek, Navarro-Andreeva as highlights

Thursday, 15 August 2024 at 01:32

It is Day Three at the Cincinnati Open with a stacked schedule of 40 matches on Wednesday 14 August including many of the top names getting their campaigns underway. Our preview looks ahead to the top ties to watch and the stories to follow.

Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner are the two main names involved. They will begin their campaigns on Wednesday as the top seeds in Cincinnati and both hoping to add the title as a confidence booster before the US Open.

Swiatek and Sinner take Centre Stage

Since crying at the Olympic Games and then getting a bronze medal, Swiatek has not played with the World No.1 deciding against a trip to Montreal. Instead she decided to take a week off to recoup with a busy second half to the season awaiting.

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But with other top names including Gauff and Sabalenka playing last week and not exactly being at their best, Swiatek will sense a chance to cement her authority. She will play in the night session against Varvara Gracheva. The Frenchwoman defeated Ajla Tomljanovic on Tuesday and it will flank a dual night session with Daniil Medvedev facing Jiri Lehecka. The returning Czech who won his first match since his Roland Garros exploits having been out injured for a considerable period of time.

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On Grandstand at the same time, it will be two inform stars and likely the pick of the day in the men's tournament as Lorenzo Musetti faces Frances Tiafoe. Then Caroline Wozniacki who has received another wildcard to play this week will face Anhelina Kalinina in the other night match.

To start the day, it is Stefanos Tsitsipas who will face off against Jan-Lennard Struff before Jannik Sinner then takes to the court. Injury and illness mooted for the World No.1 after he had to withdraw from the Olympic Games and lost to Andrey Rublev in Canada. But he was a bit more optimistic after getting to Cincinnati. He faces American upstart Alex Michelsen. Ever improving and searching for the scalp, it could be upset watch.

“It'll be a lot of fun. I've got nothing to lose,” Michelsen said. “I’m going to go out there and try my best to swing free and have fun, and we'll see what happens.”

“I don't think his game has changed that much. I think he's gotten a lot stronger and a lot faster and a lot fitter,” Michelsen said. “But for me, I don't think his game has changed that much. I think he's changed some things. His serve got better, and maybe his forehand got a little better, but the way he plays stayed the same.”

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Navarro and Stearns lead home hopes with Rune, Fernandez, Shnaider and Draper also starring

Before perhaps the tie of the day in the WTA draw as Emma Navarro who reached the semi-finals last week in Canada will face off against rising Russian, Mirra Andreeva. She lost to eventual finalist Amanda Anisimova last week but Navarro who is 11th seed heads into her first full US Open swing as one of the leading home hopes to watch this August.

Speaking of home hopes, Peyton Stearns who was seen serving ice cream locally yesterday is a home hero and surprisingly hasn't got main court billing being from the area. But she faces Paula Badosa in another tie of the day contender. One likely with a lot of home support for their local hero. Badosa though will aim to use that as fuel though.

Seen at Greaters serving ice cream, local hero Peyton Stearns will hope to serve up a display for her home fans.

Other ties to watch include Holger Rune facing off against Matteo Berrettini on the third show court. A match which would've got ooos and ahhh's in the room during the draw, it is part of a stacked slate on the third court. The recent Canada champion Alexei Popyrin said that his incentive to win in Montreal was the private jet to take him to Cincinnati and he will be in for a fast paced entertaining ride when he faces Gael Monfils.

Elsewhere, Jack Draper faces Jaume Munar, Leylah Fernandez kicks off her campaign against Yue Yuan after Diana Shnaider aims to continue her form against Shuai Zhang. Anna Kalinskaya will hope to make it to watch boyfriend Jannik Sinner play but has Katerina Siniakova first on Court Seven. While Karolina Muchova and Taylor Townsend also appear on Kalinskaya's court on Wednesday. A stacked day of 40 matches and stories wherever you look.