Two for the local crowd: Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz deliver straight-set wins at the Cincinnati Open

Americans Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz brought home victories for the local crowd at the Cincinnati Open, both winning in straight sets against strong opponents. American No. 1 Fritz defeated Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in two tight sets, 7-6, 7-6.

Meanwhile, 2024 finalist Frances Tiafoe survived a shaky start to secure a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ugo Humbert, setting up a blockbuster Round of 16 match against Holger Rune.

The world No. 14 has a tough mission this week, as he is defending his 2024 final appearance—the best result of his career in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament. It was a difficult match for the American, who faced the 20th seed Ugo Humbert for a spot in the Round of 16. It's no surprise that playing at home always suits Tiafoe, and this time was no exception, as he earned a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

The American landed 69% of his first serves, winning 76% of those points. He was effective on return, earning 12 break opportunities throughout the match, though the Frenchman responded well in key moments. In fact, Humbert started with the advantage, winning the first 11 points of the match consecutively and taking an early 3-0 lead. However, Tiafoe reacted in time to break back and take a tight first set, turning a 1-4 deficit into a 6-4 victory.

In the second set, "Big Foe" tried to capitalize on the momentum from the first and quickly earned four break opportunities in the opening game. Although he couldn't convert them, it was just a sign of what was to come, as the American got the break in the third game and then held on to his serve to secure the 6-4, 6-4 victory and advance to the Round of 16. His next opponent will be Denmark's Holger Rune.

Taylor Fritz earned a hard-fought straight-sets victory against a resilient Lorenzo Sonego. The American No. 1 was steadier in the critical moments to secure his eighth win in his last 10 appearances. The world No. 4 continues to be one of the in-form players during this American hardcourt swing and returns to the Cincinnati Open Round of 16 for the third time in his career.

It was a first set where both players gave up virtually no opportunities on their serve. Fritz managed to string together 14 consecutive points on his serve from the first game and always seemed a step ahead of the Italian, though Sonego didn't give his opponent any break chances either.

When Fritz was up 6-5, the first break opportunities finally came—which were also set points for him—but the Italian managed to send everything to a tie-break. There, Sonego was the first to gain an advantage with a mini-break, but he couldn't capitalize on the 3-1 lead. Fritz took six of the last seven points played, securing the first set 7-6(4).

The second set maintained a similar tone, with Fritz winning his service games with ease and this time managing to put a bit more pressure on his opponent's service games. Still, the Italian managed to stay in the contest without major problems, keeping things level until 5-5.

It was then that Fritz had his third break opportunity of the set and finally capitalized, getting the break that would give him the decisive advantage. Only one break was needed for him to then close out the victory on his serve with a 7-6(4), 7-5 score, guaranteeing his spot in the Round of 16. His next opponent will be the winner between João Fonseca and the qualifier Terence Atmane.