Highlights:
- Reigning US Open champions Alcaraz and Swiatek, world number ones, top the seedings for crucial hardcourt preparation ahead of this year’s US Open.
- Alcaraz, Wimbledon victor, claims top ATP seed in Toronto, while Swiatek aims for consecutive hardcourt success after her French Open triumphs.
- Djokovic, with 23 Grand Slam titles, ranks second, while Sabalenka, Australian Open champion, featuring a strong women’s field secures second seed in Cincinnati.
Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, reigning champions of the US Open and currently holding the world number one positions, have been designated as the top seeds for the forthcoming WTA and ATP Cincinnati Masters competition. This event serves as the ultimate significant hardcourt preparation prior to this year’s US Open, the ultimate Grand Slam event of the year, scheduled to commence on August 28. The tournament has selected the highest-ranked 16 players from both the men’s and women’s global standings to serve as seeds in Cincinnati, wherein the leading eight contenders will advance directly to the second round due to byes.
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Alcaraz won his second Grand Slam championship at Wimbledon last month. The ATP hardcourt event at Toronto this week features the 20-year-old Spaniard as the top seed.
The 22-year-old Polish player Swiatek, who earlier this year won her third French Open title, will attempt to match her back-to-back victories on the hardcourts in New York with her back-to-back win at Roland Garros on red clay.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who owns a record 23 men’s Grand Slam championships after winning the French and Australian Opens this year, will be the second seed at Cincinnati, which he has won twice and five-time runner-up.
On the men’s side, Daniil Medvedev, the winner in 2019, is the third seed.
The women’s second seed is reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who is followed by American Jessica Pegula, Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina, and Tunisian Ons Jabeur, who finished second at the last year’s US Open and the previous two Wimbledons.