ATP Arthur Fils Novak Djokovic Carlos Alcaraz Alexander Zverev ATP Cincinnati 2026 US Open 2026

The final of Fils in Cincinnati means Djokovic avoids Alcaraz and Zverev until the semifinals of the US Open

Andrés Tomás Rico - 22 Aug 2026
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The Cincinnati final ensures Djokovic is the 4th seed at the US Open and avoids Alcaraz and Zverev until the semifinals. Photo: Getty Images

Arthur Fils' progression to the final of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 has directly impacted three tennis players and their aspirations for the US Open: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. The victory of the Frenchman against Flavio Cobolli (6-3, 6-4) has prevented the Italian from climbing to the fifth position in the ATP ranking. Therefore, the Serbian ensures he will be the number four seed at the US Open 2026.

The withdrawal of Jannik Sinner causes all seeds at the US Open to move up one position 

It is worth noting that Jannik Sinner's withdrawal, who is the number one, has caused all seeded players to move up one position in the ranking. This means that Djokovic avoids facing Alcaraz and Zverev until a hypothetical semifinal. Thus, he manages to avoid his two main rivals until the semifinals. This is an aspect that invites optimism for a possible 25th Grand Slam.

The same applies to the Spaniard and the German, who avoid a potential match-up with the Serbian before the penultimate round. This is very important for both due to the circumstances they will face in New York. Alcaraz will arrive without having played a match since April 14 at the Conde de Godó in Barcelona. Therefore, his expectations will be low compared to the other Grand Slams in which he has participated, and an encounter with Djokovic earlier than expected would not be the best possible start.

As for Zverev, after his success at Roland Garros and his good performance at Wimbledon, where he reached the final, he has crumbled in this North American hard court swing with two very early defeats at the Canada and Cincinnati Masters 1000. Thus, he will need to gain confidence in the early rounds of the US Open if he wishes to aspire to his second Grand Slam and avoid a rock like Djokovic until the semifinals.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La final de Fils en Cincinnati hace que Djokovic evite a Alcaraz y Zverev hasta semifinales del US Open