Zverev's sale live in Cincinnati: a new absurdity for tennis

Diego Jiménez Rubio - 16 Aug 2026 | 08:20
Alexander Zverev ATP ATP Cincinnati 2026 Cameron Norrie Rueda de prensa

The German player managed to finish a match that ended at 2:15 AM in Cincinnati, something unacceptable for our sport and which may affect the rest of the tournament for Zverev.

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Alexander Zverev survives in the early morning of Cincinnati. Photo: gettyimages

Alexander Zverev returned to reign in a late-night session of a top-level tennis tournament such as the ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati 2026. The German overcame the always tough Cameron Norrie with a score of 3-6 6-3 6-3, securing his spot in the third round, which will be held on Monday.

Tennis cannot allow situations like this. Despite everyone involved knowing this and trying to implement measures to prevent it from happening again, every year we encounter several instances of the same situation. Finishing a tennis match at 2:15 AM is incompatible with the well-being of fans, workers, and athletes. Alexander Zverev was able to win and remains in the tournament in Ohio, but his biological clock will go crazy after what happened.

The match between Zverev and Norrie ended at 2:15 AM in Cincinnati

Long matches in the previous rounds and rain delays were the ingredients of a deadly cocktail. It was expected to be a long day in Cincinnati due to forecasts of rain and a backlog of matches with uncertain outcomes on the tournament's main court, but no one could foresee that we would witness something so incompatible with elite sports as a tennis match ending at 2:15 AM.

Alexander Zverev is a regular in these battles and overcame his doubts at the start of the match to finish strong. The German needed a victory to help him forget his poor performances in Canada, but the toll for winning this match could be very high, considering how all his rest routines will be greatly disrupted by finishing so late, along with the physical wear that generates.

There were two rain delays throughout the day, one of them during Zverev's own match, and all the preceding matches lasted over two and a half hours, just like the one played between the German and the Brit. This led to this nonsense and for the ATP to have to reflect again on the possibility of imposing stricter measures to prevent such situations.

Alexander Zverev, partido de madrugada en Cincinnati. Foto: gettyimages

Zverev praised his victory over Norrie in Cincinnati and now faces Atmane

"I came from playing poorly in Canada, and I felt that at the start of the match; I didn't have confidence. However, I was able to react. I feel that the conditions here make it more enjoyable to play. I never lost faith in making a comeback and ended up playing great tennis in the third set, so I am very happy," said Sascha, avoiding any comments about the late finish of the match.

His next opponent will be Terence Atmane, always a challenging rival who had his big breakthrough in this tournament last year when he reached the semifinals at a time when no one expected it. It will be an important challenge for Alexander Zverev and a good gauge to assess whether the German player can assert his favorite status in the ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati 2026, especially after Djokovic's defeat.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Zverev sale vivo en Cincinnati de un nuevo despropósito para el tenis