The day before his debut at the Western & Southern Open, Rafael Nadal practised on Court 15 surrounded by thousands of fans who wanted to see the Spaniard prepare to face Pablo Cuevas in Cincinnati.

After the practice session, Francis Roig, one of Nadal’s coaches, spoke to ATPWorldTour.com. Roig assessed his pupil’s current form. The 30-year-old Nadal was forced to pull out of Roland Garros with a wrist injury.

“When he got injured, his form was good. He had improved a lot by winning Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. He was improving day-by-day,” Roig said of Nadal, who also reached the semi-finals in Madrid and Rome.

In Cincinnati, Nadal will try to regain his earlier momentum. He is scheduled to face Cuevas for the fourth time on Wednesday at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-1 but lost their most recent contest on the clay in Rio de Janeiro in February.

“It has been two months off, with not much preparation time,” Roig said. “Now is time to go step-by-step… He has been great mentally and has been moving well.”

Roig wants Nadal to leave Cincinnati with confidence for the remainder of the ATP World Tour season. The coach believes the 2013 Cincinnati champion can positively bounce back from his latest setback.

“He has been dealing with this for many, many years,” Roig said of Nadal’s past injuries. “Hopefully he can keep playing at his best. Nadal is still hungry. If there is someone who knows how to come back after injuries, it’s him. There is no doubt about it.”

• There are four first round matches to be completed and 16 second round matches on Wednesday’s schedule at the Western & Southern Open. The top eight seeds are in action, led by top seed and two-time (2008, 2011) champion Andy Murray, No. 2 Stan Wawrinka, No. 3 /2013 winner Rafael Nadal, No. 4 Milos Raonic and No. 5 Kei Nishikori.

Watch Live Online

• In the first men’s match on Center Court, Wawrinka resumes his match against #NextGen American teenager Jared Donaldson, who won the opening set 6-2 before the Swiss native led 3-0 in the second set when play was halted due to rain. Wawrinka is making his 10th appearance in Cincinnati and he is seeded No. 2 for the first time. He reached the semi-finals in 2012 and the quarter-finals in 2014-15. Donaldson, who is into the second round for the second straight year, is trying to post his first career Top 10 win (0-1).

In the next match on, two of the biggest servers on the ATP World Tour meet as Raonic takes on 2013 finalist John Isner, who leads the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head meetings 3-0. Five of the seven previous seven sets have been decided in a tie-break with Isner holding a 4-1 edge. Isner leads the ATP World Tour this season with 845 aces while Raonic is No. 4 with 595. Raonic, who reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last month, comes in with a 39-10 match record on the season (19-4 on hard). The 25-year-old Canadian also has a 20-8 tie-break record this year. Isner is looking for his first Top 10 win of the season (0-3) and trying to reach the 3R in Cincinnati for the third time in the past four years. Isner, who has been the top American in the Emirates ATP Rankings every week since July 29, 2013, has struggled in tie-breaks this year with a 24-24 record.

In the final day session match, Nadal takes on top Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas for the fourth time (Nadal leads 2-1 on clay). This is their first meeting on hard courts. Cuevas won the last meeting in the semi-finals of the 500 level tournament in Rio de Janeiro in February en route to the biggest ATP World Tour title of his career. Nadal comes into Cincinnati after capturing the gold medal in doubles (w/M. Lopez) at the Rio Olympics and losing in the bronze medal match in singles (l. to Nishikori). Nadal is 33-10 on the season (12-6 on hard) with titles at ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. Cuevas is also a two-time winner in 2016 (Rio, Sao Paulo) and he enters at a career-high No. 19 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He is 3-8 lifetime vs. Top 10 foes (2-0 on hard).

In the evening session, Murray comes in as the top seed in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in his career. The 29-year-old British superstar defended his 2012 London Olympics gold medal in Rio on Sunday (d. del Potro in 4h,2m) and won his career-best 18th match in a row. He will face the winner of Juan Monaco (leads 4-2) or Ivo Karlovic (leads 7-0).

In the first match on Grandstand, Russian qualifier Mikhail Youzhny and Rio singles bronze medalist Nishikori meet for the third time (tied 1-1). In the final match on this court, No. 6 Tomas Berdych will face the winner of Jiri Vesely (leads 2-0) and Marcel Granollers (leads 3-0).

There are four matches on Stadium 3 with No. 8 seed Dominic Thiem opening up followed by No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 9 Gael Monfils and No. 14 Nick Kyrgios.

DAY 4 FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS – In Order of Play by Court

CENTER COURT

To Finish – Donaldson leads 6-2, 0-3

[WC] Jared Donaldson (USA) vs [2] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) First Meeting

Donaldson 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 5-8 (5-7 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: October 9, 1996
Emirates ATP Ranking: 122 (Career-High)
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 2-1 (2015-16 2R)

• Tournament note: The 19-year-old Rhode Island native is making his second straight appearance in 2R as a wild card. Last year came in ranked No. 153 and defeated Mahut in 1R (l. to Janowicz in 2R). On Monday, opened with 63 76 win over Almagro
• Playing sixth straight week and qualified in Los Cabos last week (l. to Benneteau in 1R). Previous week in Atlanta (d. Groth, l. to eventual champion Kyrgios in 2R)
• Reached 3R of an ATP Masters 1000 event for 1st time at Toronto as Q (d. Millman and Fognini, l. to No. 7 Raonic)
• Earned 1st win of season at Washington as Q (d. Millot, l. to Matosevic)
• Achieved career-high No. 122 in Emirates ATP Rankings last week
• Lost 3-setter to Basilashvili in final round of Roland Garros qualifying for 2nd straight year
• Advanced to 3rd Challenger final of career at Savannah, USA (d. G. Melzer and Young, l. to Fratangelo)
• Withdrew from 3 grass-court Challengers and Wimbledon qualifying due to shoulder injury

Wawrinka 2016 FastFacts:
W(3): Chennai (d. Coric); Dubai (d. Baghdatis); Geneva (d. Cilic); SF(2): Roland Garros (l. to Murray); ATP Masters 1000 Toronto (l. to Nishikori); QF(2): Marseille (l. to Paire); ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l. to Nadal)
YTD W-L: 31-11 (18-5 on hard)
YTD Titles: 3 / Career Titles: 14
Date of Birth: March 28, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 4
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 12-9 (2012 SF)

• Tournament Note: The 31-year-old Swiss enters 2R after receiving a bye as No. 2 seed. His best result is SF in 2012 and QF past two years
• On a 10-match win streak in finals after beating Cilic 64 76(11) for 1st Swiss title at Geneva in May
• Also beat Baghdatis 64 76(13) to win ATP World Tour 500 event in Dubai
• Captured 3rd straight Chennai title (d. Coric), increasing win streaks at event to 12 matches and 24 sets
• Enjoyed 400th career win in Australian Open 3R on Jan. 23 (d. Rosol) before falling in 4R (l. to Raonic in 5 sets)
• In defense of Roland Garros title, won 5-setter over Rosol in 1R and reached SF (l. to No. 2 Murray)
• Appeared in 46 consecutive Grand Slam main draws since making major debut at 2005 Roland Garros
• Advanced to ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo QF (d. Kohlschreiber and Simon, l. to No. 5 Nadal)
• Saved 2 MPs to beat Stakhovsky 64 46 76(8) in Marseille 2R and came within 2 points of losing to Stakhovsky in Dubai 1R before earning 57 63 75 win

[4] Milos Raonic (CAN) vs John Isner (USA) Isner Leads 3-0
12 ATP Masters 1000 Toronto (Canada) Hard QF John Isner 7-6(9) 6-4 
13 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard R16 John Isner 7-6(5) 6-4 
15 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R16 John Isner 6-7(3) 7-6(6) 7-6(5)

Raonic 2016 FastFacts:
W: Brisbane (d. Federer); F(3): ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Djokovic); London (l. to Murray); Wimbledon (l. to Murray); SF: Aust. Open (l. Murray); QF(4): ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. Kyrgios); ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l. to Murray);  ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to Djokovic); ATP Masters 1000 Toronto (l. to Monfils)
YTD W-L: 39-10 (19-4 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 8
Date of Birth: December 27, 1990
Emirates ATP Ranking: 6
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 8-4 (2014 SF)

• Tournament Note: The 25-year-old Canadian reached SF in 2014, QF in 2012, 3R in 2013 and 1R in 2015
• Has a 17-6 record in ATP Masters 1000 play this season, with QF or better in five tournaments
• Became 1st Canadian man and 2nd Canadian overall to reach major singles final at Wimbledon (l. to No. 2 Murray). En route to Wimbledon final, earned 1st win from 2 sets down vs. Goffin in 4R and defeated No. 3 Federer in 5 sets in SF
• Also fell to No. 2 Murray in London/Queen’s Club final after leading 7-6 3-0
• Won first 9 matches of season, highlighted by 8th career title at Brisbane (d. No. 3 Federer)
• Upset No. 4 Wawrinka in 5 sets en route to Australian Open SF (l. to No. 2 Murray in 5 sets)
• Played in 3rd ATP Masters 1000 final at Indian Wells (d. No. 7 Berdych, Monfils and Goffin; l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Reached ATP Masters 1000 QFs at Miami (l. to Kyrgios), Monte-Carlo (l. to Murray) and Madrid (l. to Djokovic)
• Advanced to Roland Garros 4R (l. to Ramos-Viñolas)
• Withdrew from Delray Beach, Acapulco and Davis Cup 1R due to muscular tear sustained in Australian Open SF

Isner 2016 FastFacts:
F: Atlanta (l. to Kyrgios); SF: Houston (l. to Sock); QF(2): Auckland (l. to Bautista Agut); Washington (l. to Johnson)
YTD W-L: 24-15 (14-8 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 10
Date of Birth: April 26, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 22
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 11-8 (2013 Runner-up)

• Tournament Note: The 31-year-old American holds an 11-8 record in Cincinnati with his best result in 2013 when he defeated 4 players in Top 11 (No. 11 Gasquet, No. 10 Raonic, No. 1 Djokovic, No. 7 del Potro) before falling to No. 3 Nadal in final. Opened on Tuesday by defeating Fognini 63 62. Previously defeated Raonic here in R16 in 2013
• Reached first ATP World Tour final of season and 21st of career (10-11) in Atlanta, where he was a three-time defending champ, before losing to Kyrgios in two tie-breaks (24-24 in TBs this season)
• Reached quarter-finals in Washington (l. to Johnson in two TBs)
• Reached 4R at Australian Open (l. to No. 8 Ferrer) and Roland Garros (d. Gabashvili in 5 sets, l. to No. 2 Murray)
• Defeated Groth and Tomic to lead USA to 3-1 win over Australia in Davis Cup 1R; then beat Coric and lost to Cilic as U.S. fell 3-2 to Croatia in Davis Cup QF
• Hit 49 aces and 0 DFs in 4-set win over Tomic, including fastest serve ever in a tour-level match (157 mph)
• Earned 300th win of career over Edmund in Roland Garros 2R on May 25
• Advanced to Auckland QF (d. Querrey, l. to Bautista Agut) and Houston SF (d. Chung, l. to Sock)
• Lost 6 matches 76 in 3rd (5 matches holding MP): Buenos Aires 2R vs. Lajovic (held 1 MP), Rio de Janeiro 1R vs. Pella (held 3 MPs), Indian Wells 4R vs. No. 6 Nishikori (held 1 MP), Miami 2R vs. Smyczek, Geneva 2R vs. Rosol and London/Queen’s Club 2R vs. Muller (held 10 MPs). Also held 1 MP in Wimbledon 3R before falling to Tsonga 19-17 in 5th after 4 hrs., 24 mins.
• Withdrew from ATP Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome due to knee injury

Pablo Cuevas (URU) vs [3] Rafael Nadal (ESP) Nadal Leads 2-1
15 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Clay QF Rafael Nadal 4-6 7-5 6-0 
15 Hamburg (Germany) Clay QF Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 
16 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Clay SF Pablo Cuevas 6-7(6) 7-6(3) 6-4

Cuevas 2016 FastFacts:
W(2): Rio de Janeiro (d. Pella); Sao Paolo (d. Carreno Busta); F(2): Nottingham (l. to Johnson); Hamburg (l. to Klizan); QF: Buenos Aires (l. to Ferrer)
YTD W-L: 30-15 (5-5 on hard)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 5 
Date of Birth: January 1, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 19 (Career-high)
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 1-1 (2016 2R)

• Tournament Note: Last year, fell in 1R to Bautista Agut. Opened on Monday by defeating Sam Querrey 46 76 63 to reach 2R for first time
• In February, captured back-to-back titles at Rio de Janeiro (d. Pella) and São Paulo (d. Carreño Busta)
• First player to beat only lefties en route to a title (d. Bagnis, Monteiro, Delbonis, No. 5 Nadal and Pella in Rio)
• Did not drop a set en route to Hamburg final (l. to Klizan)
• Reached 1st grass-court QF, SF and final at Nottingham (d. Baghdatis after saving 1 MP in QF, l. to Johnson)
• Achieved career-high No. 19 in Emirates ATP Rankings this week
• Advanced to Roland Garros 3R for 2nd straight year (d. Kamke and Halys, l. to No. 8 Berdych)
• Beat both Kohlschreiber and Monfils 76 in 3rd to reach ATP Masters 1000 R16 for 1st time in Madrid (l. to Kyrgios)
• In doubles w/Granollers, reached Barcelona final (d. Dodig/Melo in 1R, l. to Bryan/Bryan), Australian Open SF (d. Dodig/Melo in 3R, l. to Nestor/Stepanek) and Roland Garros QF (d. Rojer/Tecau in 2R, l. to Kubot/Peya)

Nadal 2016 FastFacts:
W(2): ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (d. Monfils); Barcelona (d. Nishikori); F: Doha (l. to Djokovic); SF(5): Buenos Aires (l. to Thiem); Rio de Janeiro (l. to Cuevas); ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Djokovic); ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to Murray); Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games (l. to del Potro); QF: ATP Masters 1000 Rome (l. to Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 33-10 (12-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 69
Date of Birth: June 3, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 5
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 19-9 (2013 Champion)

• Tournament Note: The 2013 champion is seeking his 20th match win in Cincinnati. Last year, he fell to Lopez in 3R. Outside of championship, Nadal has reached SF twice (2008-09) and QF three times (2006, 2010-11). This is his 11th appearance in Cincinnati (19-9 record)
• Last week at Rio Olympics, won doubles gold medal (w/M. Lopez) and lost to del Potro in SF and Nishikori in singles bronze medal match. Defeated Bellucci in QF for 800th career singles match win. Spent a total of 22h,43m on court in singles and doubles 
• Before Olympics, Nadal had not played a match since Roland Garros 2R due to wrist injury
• Captured 9th Monte-Carlo and 28th ATP Masters 1000 title overall (d. No. 4 Wawrinka, No. 2 Murray and Monfils)
• Also won 9th Barcelona title, tying Vilas for Open Era lead with 49 clay-court titles (d. No. 6 Nishikori)
• Reached ATP Masters 1000 SFs at Indian Wells (d. A. Zverev after saving 1 MP, l. to No. 1 Djokovic) and Madrid (l. to No. 2 Murray)
• Suffered 7th straight loss to No. 1 Djokovic in ATP Masters 1000 Rome QF (0-15 in sets)
• Lost to eventual champs in SFs at Buenos Aires (l. to Thiem after holding 1 MP) and Rio de Janeiro (l. to Cuevas)
• Reached Doha final (l. to No. 1 Djokovic), then suffered 2nd Grand Slam 1R loss at Aus. Open (l. to Verdasco)
• Became 8th man with 200+ major wins before conceding 3rd walkover of career in Roland Garros 3R (left wrist)
• Retired in Miami 2R vs. Dzumhur (illness) and withdrew from London/Queen’s Club, Wimbledon and Toronto (wrist)

[1] Andy Murray (GBR) vs Ivo Karlovic (CRO) OR [PR] Juan Monaco (ARG)

vs Ivo Karlovic (CRO) Murray Leads 7-0
07 San Jose (U.S.A.) Hard F Andy Murray 6-7(3) 6-4      7-6(2)
08 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Andy Murray 7-6(7) 6-7(3)  6-3
08 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard SF Andy Murray 6-4 6-4
12 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R64 Andy Murray 7-5 6-7(5) 6-2 7-6(4)
12 Tokyo (Japan) Hard R32 Andy Murray 7-6(7) 6-4
15 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R16 Andy Murray 7-6(7) 6-4     5-7   6-4
16 Roland Garros (France) Clay R32 Andy Murray 6-1 6-4    7-6(3)
OR
vs Juan Monaco (ARG) Murray Leads 4-2
09 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R64 Andy Murray 4-6 6-3 6-2
09 ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Italy) Clay R32 Juan Monaco 1-6 6-3 7-5
10 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard SF Andy Murray 6-4 6-1
10 Valencia (Spain) Hard R16 Juan Monaco 6-2 3-6 6-2
14 Shenzhen (China) Hard SF Andy Murray 2-6 6-3 6-0
16 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games (Brazil) Hard R32 Andy Murray 6-3 6-1

Murray 2016 FastFacts:
W(4): ATP Masters 1000 Rome (d. Djokovic); London/Queen’s Club (d. Raonic); Wimbledon (d. Raonic); Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games (d. del Potro); F(3): Australian Open (l. to Djokovic); ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to Djokovic); Roland Garros (l. to Djokovic); SF: ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l. to Nadal)
YTD W-L: 46-6 (16-3 on hard)
YTD Titles: 4 / Career Titles: 39
Date of Birth: May 15, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 2 (Career-high)
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 27-9 (2008, 2011 Champion)

• Tournament Note: The top seed has reached the QF or better in Cincinnati in 8 of 11 appearances, winning the title twice (2008, ’11). Last year, he fell in SF to Federer
• In Rio de Janeiro Olympics last week, defeated del Potro in gold-medal match in 4h,2m to become 1st player to win 2 Olympic gold medals in singles
• Enters on a career-best 18-match winning streak and last loss came to Djokovic in Roland Garros final on June 5
• Captured 3rd Grand Slam title at Wimbledon (d. Tsonga in 5 sets, No. 9 Berdych and No. 7 Raonic)
• Became 1st British finalist at Roland Garros and 10th man to reach all 4 major finals in Open Era (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Fell to 0-5 in Australian Open finals with 4th championship match loss to No. 1 Djokovic
• With J. Murray, became 1st brothers in Open Era to reach singles and doubles finals at same major (Australian Open)
• Celebrated 29th birthday by beating No. 1 Djokovic for 12th ATP Masters 1000 title at Rome
• Beat No. 8 Berdych and No. 5 Nadal en route to ATP Masters 1000 Madrid final (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Rallied from 76 30 down to defeat No. 9 Raonic and become 1st 5-time London/Queen’s Club champion (est. 1890)
• Extended Davis Cup win streak to 14 matches with 3 victories to lead Great Britain past Japan 3-1

Karlovic 2016 FastFacts:
W(2): Newport (d. Muller); Los Cabos (d. Lopez); F: Washington (l. to Monfils); SF(2): Istanbul (l. to Dimitrov); s-Hertogenbosch (l. to Muller)
YTD W-L: 22-15 (10-6 on hard) – going into 1R
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 8
Date of Birth: February 28, 1979
Emirates ATP Ranking: 20
Cincinnati W-L (Best result): 10-7 (2008 SF) – going into 1R

• Tournament Note: The 37-year-old Croat enters the 1R with a 10-7 record in Cincinnati, his best result coming in 2008, when he fell to Murray in SF. That year, he defeated No. 1 Federer in R16 before defeating Kohlschreiber, then l. to Murray. Last year, he reached R16 before falling to Wawrinka
• Won second ATP World Tour title of season last week in naugural Los Cabos Open (d. F. Lopez)
• Had a runner-up effort in Washington where he held match point before falling 57 76 64 to Monfils. Held 53 straight service games in tournament before getting broken serving for match in second set. Finished with 28 aces in match and 108 for tournament. Ranking improved from No. 35 to No. 27 (and No. 20 this week)
• Previous week claimed 7th career ATP World Tour title in Newport (d. Muller, saving 3 MPs); at 37 years, 4 months, became oldest ATP World Tour singles winner since Marty Riessen (37 years, 9 months) in 1979 (Lafayette, La.)
• At Roland Garros, beat Thompson 12-10 in 5th to become oldest player to reach Grand Slam 3R since Connors at 1991 US Open (l. to No. 2 Murray in 3R)
• Ended 8-match losing streak (back to last year) with 1st wins of season to reach Istanbul SF (d. Lajovic and Granollers, l. to Dimitrov). Since 0-6 start, has compiled a 16-8 match record in past nine tournaments
• Win over Lajovic in Istanbul 2R on April 28 served as 300th victory of career
• Also reached SF at ’s-Hertogenbosch (d. Sijsling and Mannarino, l. to Muller)
• Suffered 11th straight loss in a final-set tiebreak, squandering 2 MPs vs. Kudla in ATP Masters 1000 Madrid 1R. Streak ended in Newport final where he prevailed 14-12 in longest decisive set TB in an ATP final in Open Era
• Retired in 2 matches and withdrew from 3 events between January and March due to left knee injury

Monaco 2016 FastFacts:
W: Houston (d. Sock); QF: ATP Masters 1000 Rome (l. to Pouille)
YTD W-L: 13-10 (2-3 on hard) – going into 1R
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 9
Date of Birth: February 28, 1979
Emirates ATP Ranking: 104
Cincinnati W-L (Best result): 4-5 (2007 3R) – going into 1R

• Tournament Note: Led Karlovic 64 5-3 when rain suspended play. Best result came in 2007 debut, reaching 3R. Since then, has not advanced past 2R. Has a protected Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 47
• As World No. 148, captured 9th ATP World Tour title at Houston (d. G. Melzer, Paire, Querrey, Lopez and Sock)
• Rose 62 spots to No. 86 in Emirates ATP Rankings on April 11, gaining direct acceptance into Roland Garros
• Upset No. 4 Wawrinka in ATP Masters 1000 Rome 3R, but conceded walkover to Pouille in QF (left hip)
• Advanced to 2R at Roland Garros (d. Istomin, l. to Ferrer) and Wimbledon (d. Daniel, l. to Tsonga)
• Retired from Rio de Janeiro 1R vs. Gimeno-Traver due to right shoulder injury 
• Withdrew from Australian Open due to right wrist injury and Istanbul due to back injury
•  Has a 20-55 career record vs. Top 10 opponents (1-2 this year) and his previous win over a World No. 2 came in 2007 Cincinnati 3R (d. Nadal 76 4-1 ret.)

GRANDSTAND

[Q] Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)  vs [5] Kei Nishikori (JPN) Series Tied 1-1
13 Halle (Germany) Grass R16 Mikhail Youzhny 6-1 6-7(4) 6-3 
15 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R64 Kei Nishikori 6-2 6-1

Youzhny 2016 FastFacts
QF(2): Stuttgart (l. to Thiem); Gstaad (l. to Brown)
YTD W-L: 12-12 (4-3 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 10
Date of Birth: June 25, 1982
Emirates ATP Ranking: 68
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 13-12 (2005 QF)

• Tournament note: The 34-year-old Russian advanced to 2R with win over #NextGen American Taylor Fritz 61 63. He made 12 straight showings from 2003-14 before losing in the final round of qualifying last year. His best result is QF in 2005 (l. to No. 5 Roddick)
• Has jumped from No. 127 at end of last season to No. 68 this week in Emirates ATP Rankings
• In June, reached 1st ATP QF since 2015 Zagreb at Stuttgart (d. Lopez and Stakhovsky, l. to Thiem 75 in 3rd), then notched 2nd QF at Gstaad (l. to Brown)
• Advanced to Nottingham 3R (l. to Muller) before reaching Wimbledon 2R (l. to A. Zverev in 5 sets)
• Won 30 of 32 sets to sweep 3 consecutive ATP Challenger Tour titles in January
• Captured 2 titles in Bangkok, THA (d. Soeda and Pavlasek), followed by title at Manila, PHI (d. Chiudinelli)
• Illness forced walkover vs. Bautista Agut in Indian Wells 2R and retirement vs. Bellucci in Munich 1R
• Has a 30-83 career record vs. Top 10 opponents and looking to break an eight-match losing streak since last win here two years ago (d. No. 10 Tsonga in 1R)

Nishikori 2016 FastFacts
W: Memphis (d. Fritz); F(3): ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Djokovic); Barcelona (l. to Nadal); ATP Masters 1000 Toronto (l. to Djokovic); SF(3): ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to Djokovic); ATP Masters 1000 Rome (l. to Djokovic); Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games (l. to Murray); QF(3): Brisbane (l. to Tomic); Australian Open (l. to Djokovic); ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Nadal)
YTD W-L: 45-13 (28-8 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 11
Date of Birth: December 29, 1989
Emirates ATP Ranking: 7
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 2-3 (2012 R16)

• Tournament Note: This is his 4th appearance in main draw. Has a 2-3 record with his best result the R16 in 2012, when he lost to Wawrinka. Last year,fell to Lopez in 1R
• Won singles bronze medal at Rio Olympics, defeating Nadal in three sets
• Captured 4th straight Memphis title and extended win streak at event to 17 matches (d. Fritz)
• Saved 5 MPs to beat Monfils en route to 2nd ATP Masters 1000 final of career at Miami (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Also saved 1 MP to defeat Isner 76 in 3rd before falling to No. 5 Nadal in ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells QF
• Reached ATP Masters 1000 SFs at Madrid (l. to Djokovic 76 in 2nd) and Rome (l. to Djokovic 76 in 3rd)
• Appeared in 3rd consecutive Barcelona final (d. Paire, l. to No. 5 Nadal)
• Advanced to Aus. Open QF (d. Tsonga, l. to Djokovic) and Roland Garros 4R (d. Verdasco in 5 sets, l. to Gasquet)
• Conceded walkover in Halle 2R vs. F. Mayer and retired in Wimbledon 4R vs. Cilic due to rib injury
• Beat Evans before falling to No. 2 Murray in 5 sets, ending 12-match Davis Cup win streak (GBR d. JPN 3-1 in 1R)

[6] Tomas Berdych (CZE) vs Marcel Granollers (ESP) OR [Q] Jiri Vesely (CZE) 

vs Marcel Granollers (ESP) Berdych Leads 3-0
10 ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Italy) Clay R64 Tomas Berdych 6-3 6-3
11 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Clay R32 Tomas Berdych 6-4 6-0
13 ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo Clay R32 Tomas Berdych 7-5 6-4
OR
vs Jiri Vesely (CZE) Berdych Leads 2-0
15 Shenzhen (China) Hard QF Tomas Berdych   6-3   6-2
16 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R16 Tomas Berdych   4-6 6-3 7-6(8) 6-7(9) 6-3

Berdych 2016 FastFacts:
SF(3): Doha (l. to Djokovic); Marseille (l. to Kyrgios); Wimbledon (l. to Murray); QF(6): Australian Open (l. to Federer); Dubai (l. to Kyrgios); ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Djokovic); ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to Murray); Roland Garros (l. to Djokovic); ATP Masters 1000 Toronto (l. to Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 30-14 (18-8 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 12
Date of Birth: September 17, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 8
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 17-11 (2011, ’13 SF)

• Tournament Note: The No. 6 seed has reached QF or better 4 out of 11 appearances in Cincinnati. Twice he has reached SF (2011, 2013). Last year reached QF before falling to Dolgopolov
• Reached 3rd ATP Masters 1000 QF of season in Toronto (l. to Djokovic)
• Defeated A. Zverev, Vesely and Pouille en route to 6th Grand Slam SF at Wimbledon (l. to No. 2 Murray)
• Also advanced to SFs at Doha (l. to No. 1 Djokovic) and Marseille (d. Goffin, l. to Kyrgios)
• Reached QFs at Aus. Open (d. Bautista Agut, l. to No. 3 Federer), Dubai (l. to Kyrgios), Miami (d. No. 10 Gasquet, l. to No. 1 Djokovic), Madrid (d. No. 9 Ferrer, l. to No. 2 Murray) and Roland Garros (d. Ferrer, l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Suffered 60 60 loss to Goffin in ATP Masters 1000 Rome 3R – 1st double-bagel of career at any level
• Helped Czech Republic defeat Germany 3-2 in Davis Cup 1R by winning 5-setter over A. Zverev in 4h, 20m
• Also won doubles w/Stepanek for 50th Davis Cup victory of career (d. Kohlschreiber/Petzschner)
• Retired in Davis Cup 1R Rubber 4 vs. Kohlschreiber (right hamstring) and withdrew from Washington (fatigue)

Granollers 2016 FastFacts
QF (3): ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo (l. to Monfils); Istanbul (l. to Karlovic); Los Cabos (l. to Karlovic)
YTD W-L: 15-19 (6-7 on hard) – going into 1R
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: April 12, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 46
Cincinnati W-L (Best result): 1-3 (2013 2R) – going into 1R

• Tournament Note: The 30-year-old Spaniard is looking to advance to 2R for 2nd time. Previously reached 2R in 2013 (d. Rosol, l. to No. 13 Haas)
• Reached Los Cabos QF last week before falling to eventual champion Karlovic
• Advanced to QFs at ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo as LL (d. Goffin, l. to Monfils) and Istanbul (l. to Karlovic)
• Replaced countryman Ferrer and became 1st lucky loser to reach Monte-Carlo QF in tournament history
• Received retirement from Mahut and walkover from No. 5 Nadal en route to Roland Garros 4R (l. to Thiem)
• Captured 4th ATP Challenger Tour title at Irving, USA (d. Giraldo, M. Zverev, Rosol, Dodig and Bedene)
• Won 11th ATP World Tour doubles title at Båstad with countryman Marrero (d. Daniell/Demoliner)
• In doubles w/Cuevas, reached Barcelona final (d. Dodig/Melo in 1R, l. to Bryan/Bryan), Australian Open SF (d. Dodig/Melo in 3R, l. to Nestor/Stepanek) and Roland Garros QF (d. Rojer/Tecau in 2R, l. to Kubot/Peya)

Vesely 2016 FastFacts
SF: Marrakech (l. to Coric); QF: Istanbul (l. to Dimitrov)
YTD W-L: 15-18 (1-9 on hard) – going into 1R
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: July 10, 1993
Emirates ATP Ranking: 50
Cincinnati W-L (Best result): 0-1 (2015 1R) – going into 1R

• Tournament note: Vesely is in his 2nd appearance in Cincinnati, and he lost in 1R last year (l. to Bellucci)
• As World No. 55, upset No. 1 Djokovic to reach ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo 3R (l. to Monfils)
• Became lowest-ranked player to defeat Djokovic since No. 74 Malisse at 2010 London/Queen’lub
• Upset No. 8 Thiem 76 76 76 en route to Wimbledon 4R (l. to No. 9 Berdych 46 63 76 67 63)
• Advanced to Marrakech SF (l. to Coric 76 76) and Istanbul QF (l. to Dimitrov)
• Posted only 1 singles win in 1st 3 months of season, beating countryman Rosol in Rotterdam 1R
• As defending champion, lost to eventual champion Bautista Agut in Auckland 1R

STADIUM 3

Millman 2016 FastFacts:
QF: Montpellier (l. to Mathieu)
YTD W-L: 15-16 (11-12 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: June 14, 1989
Emirates ATP Ranking: 91
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2016 2R)

• Tournament Note: The 27-year-old Aussie qualifier defeated Malek Jaziri 64 57 63 to reach 2R
• Advanced to 3R at Australian Open (d. Muller in 5 sets, l. to Tomic) and Wimbledon (d. Paire, l. to No. 2 Murray)
• Reached 1st ATP World Tour QF at Montpellier (d. Benneteau and Roger-Vasselin, l. to Mathieu in 3 sets)
• Achieved career-high No. 60 in Emirates ATP Rankings on May 16 (No. 91 this week)
• Won ATP Masters 1000 debut over Sarkissian at Indian Wells (l. to Johnson in 2R)
• Saved 2 MPs in 67(5) 64 76(6) win over Donskoy in Chennai 1R (l. to Bautista Agut in 2R)
• Held 1 MP vs. Johnson in Delray Beach 1R before falling 63 57 76(8)
• Conceded w/o in Seoul, KOR Challenger QF vs. Lacko and withdrew from Houston and Geneva (left ankle)
• Looking for first career Top 10 win (0-5)

Thiem 2016 FastFacts:
W(4): Buenos Aires (d. Almagro); Acapulco (d. Tomic); Nice (d. A. Zverev); Stuttgart (d. Kohlschreiber); F: Munich (l. Kohlschreiber); SF(4): Brisbane (l. Federer); Roland Garros (l. Djokovic); Halle (l. Mayer); Rio de Janeiro (l. Pella); QF: ATP Masters 1000 Rome (l. Nishikori)
YTD W-L: 48-15 (16-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 4 / Career Titles: 7
Date of Birth: September 3, 1993
Emirates ATP Ranking: 9 
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 0-2 (2014-15 1R)

• Tournament Note: The 22-year-old is bidding for his 1st win in Cincinnati after 1R losses in 2014 (l. to Ginepri 7-5 in third set) and last year (l. to Klizan in third set TB)
• Reached 1st Grand Slam SF at Roland Garros (d. Goffin, l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Broke into Top 10 and rose to career-high No. 7 in Emirates ATP Rankings on June 6
• Youngest player in Top 10 since Raonic (Aug. 12, 2013), 3rd Austrian and 1st since J. Melzer (May 30, 2011)
• Saved 1 MP in Buenos Aires 2R (d. Elias) and SF (d. No. 5 Nadal), as well as 2 MPs in Stuttgart SF (d. No. 3 Federer)
• Runner-up at Munich (l. to Kohlschreiber 76 in 3rd) – only loss in 20 deciding sets this season
• Defeated No. 2 Federer at Rome for biggest win of career by ranking to reach 2nd ATP Masters 1000 QF
• Earned 1st 3 Davis Cup victories of career to lead Austria to 4-1 win over Portugal in Europe/Africa Zone Group I 
• Retired in Sydney 2R against Muller due to blisters and withdrew from Hamburg due to illness

[7] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs [WC] Reilly Opelka (USA) First Meeting

Tsonga 2016 FastFacts:
SF(2): Auckland (l. to Bautista Agut); ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l. to Monfils); QF(3): Buenos Aires (l. to Almagro); ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Djokovic); Wimbledon (l. to Murray)
YTD W-L: 23-12 (11-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 12
Date of Birth: April 17, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 10
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 1-4 (2009, ’11, ’16 2R)

• Tournament Note: Tsonga is looking to reach 3R for the 1st time in Cincinnati. He is in 2R with a bye
• Saved 1 MP to beat Isner 19-17 in 5th after 4h, 24m en route to Wimbledon QF (l. to No. 2 Murray in 5 sets)
• Earned 7th career win over No. 3 Federer to reach ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo SF (l. to Monfils)
• Defeated Thiem to advance to ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells QF (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Reached Aus. Open 4R (l. to No. 7 Nishikori) and Roland Garros 3R (d. Baghdatis in 2R after trailing by 2 sets)
• Withdrew from Rome and London/Queen’s Club, and retired in Roland Garros 3R vs. Gulbis (adductor)
• Squandered 1 MP in Auckland SF loss to eventual champion Bautista Agut
• Clinched France’s Davis Cup 1R win over Canada in doubles w/Gasquet (d. Bester/Pospisil)

Opelka 2016 FastFacts
SF: Atlanta (l. to Isner)
YTD W-L: 5-4 (5-3 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: August 28, 1997
Emirates ATP Ranking: 364
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2016 2R)

• Tournament Note: The 18-year-old from Palm Coast, Fla. made his debut on Monday, saving two MPs in a 36 75 76(9) win over Chardy. He is one of five teenagers in main draw, most in Cincinnati since 2005 (six)
• Appearing in 2R in third straight ATP World Tour tournament in as many weeks. Last week earned a special exempt into Los Cabos and defeated Stakhovsky in 1R (ret.) before losing to top seed, No. 18-ranked Lopez 63 76 in 2R. Afterwards improved to career-high No. 364 in Emirates ATP Rankings
• Previous week in Atlanta, reached his maiden ATP World Tour SF with wins over Eubanks No. 3 seed Anderson (saved 2 MPs) and Young before losing in three sets to top seed/three-time champion Isner. Afterwards, climbed from No. 837 to No. 395 in Emirates ATP Rankings
• Made ATP World Tour debut at Houston as LL (l. to Querrey in 1R)
• Fell to Jaziri in Washington 1R as WC 67(4) 76(4) 76(3)
• Earned 1st ATP doubles win w/Paul at Houston as WC (d. Monroe/N. Skupski, l. to Bryan/Bryan)
• Fell to eventual champions Nestor/Roger-Vasselin 46 76(4) 10-8 in Washington 1R w/Fritz

[9] Gael Monfils (FRA) vs Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)         Series Tied 1-1
06 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Marcos Baghdatis 7-6(8) 2-6 6-1 
07 Australian Open (Australia) Hard R64 Gael Monfils 7-6(5) 6-2 2-6 6-0

Monfils 2016 FastFacts:
W: Washington (d. Karlovic); F(2): Rotterdam (l. to Klizan); ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l. to Nadal); SF: Toronto (l. to Djokovic); QF(3): Australian Open (l. to Raonic); ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Raonic); ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Nishikori); Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games (l. to Nishikori)
YTD W-L: 34-11 (27-7 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: September 1, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 11
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 9-8 (2011 QF)

• Tournament Note: The No. 2 Frenchman opened with a 63 64 win over Carreno Busta Tuesday. He turned in his best result in 2011 when he reached QF (l. to No. 1 Djokovic in three sets). Also 3R in 2005 debut and 2014
• Comes in after reaching QF at Rio Olympics last week (l. to Nishikori in third set TB). Has a 12-2 record this summer since 1R loss at Wimbledon (l. to Chardy in five sets) 
• Won ATP World Tour 500 level title in Washington (d. Karlovic, saved 1 MP), biggest of his career and sixth overall (6-19). It was also his first title on U.S. soil (1-2) and first this season. Followed with SF at ATP Masters 1000 Toronto (d. No. 7 Raonic in QF, l. to eventual champion Djokovic)
• Reached 3rd ATP Masters 1000 final at Monte-Carlo (d. No. 9 Tsonga, l. to No. 5 Nadal in 3 sets)
• Also reached ATP Masters 1000 QFs at Indian Wells (l. to Raonic) and Miami (l. to No. 6 Nishikori after 5 MPs)
• Advanced to 1st Australian Open QF in 11th appearance (l. to Raonic)
• Lost to Klizan in Rotterdam championship match in February
• Won 8th straight Davis Cup match to open France’s 5-0 sweep of Canada in 1R (d. Dancevic)
• Withdrew from Marseille (right leg), Munich (groin strain), Roland Garros (virus) and Halle (virus)

Baghdatis 2016 FastFacts:
F: Dubai (l. to Wawrinka); SF: Newport (l. to Karlovic); QF(4): Montpellier (l. to Gasquet); Houston (l. to Sock); Halle (l. to A. Zverev); Nottingham (l. to Cuevas)
YTD W-L: 19-15 (10-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: June 17, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 44
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 10-6 (2010 SF)

• Tournament Note: Cypriot posted his best result here in 2010, when, as World No. 20, defeated No. 7 Berdych and No. 1 Nadal to reach SF, where he lost to Federer. Since then, has failed to advance past 2R. This is his 7th appearance in main draw. Advanced with 1R win over Pospisil 75 75 on Tuesday
• Finished as Dubai runner-up, falling to 4-9 in ATP singles finals with 5 straight losses (l. to No. 4 Wawrinka)
• Earned 300th win over Muller at Roland Garros on May 24 (l. to No. 7 Tsonga in 2R after leading by 2 sets)
• Extended Davis Cup singles win streak to 36 matches with 4 victories March 2-5, passing Borg for all-time record
• Beat Schwartzman 60 60 en route to Houston QF (l. to Sock) — 1st double-bagel of season
• Also reached QFs at Montpellier (l. to No. 10 Gasquet), Halle (d. No. 8 Berdych in 1R, l. to A. Zverev) and Nottingham (d. Querrey after saving 2 MPs, l. to Cuevas after holding 1 MP)

[14] Nick Kyrgios (AUS) vs Borna Coric (CRO) Kyrgios Leads 1-0
16 Estoril (Portugal) Clay QF Nick Kyrgios 6-4 6-4

Kyrgios 2016 FastFacts:
W(2): Marseille (d. Cilic); Atlanta (d. Isner); SF(3): Dubai (l. to Wawrinka); ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Nishikori); Estoril (l. to Almagro); QF: ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to Nishikori)
YTD W-L: 31-11 (19-5 on hard)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: April 27, 1995
Emirates ATP Ranking: 16 (Career-high)
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 1-1 (2016 2R)

• Tournament Note: After falling in 1R at last year’s event (l. to Gasquet), the No. 14 seed opened on Monday night by defeating Pouille 62 75 to reach 2R
• In his last tournament in Atlanta, No. 1 Aussie captured second ATP World Tour title of season (d. Isner in two TBs). Afterwards improved to career-high No. 16 in Emirates ATP Rankings
• In February at Marseille, became 1st member of ATP’s Next Generation to win an ATP World Tour title (d. Cilic). Held in all 47 service games, beating No. 10 Gasquet (QF) and No. 8 Berdych (SF) en route to title
• Advanced to 1st ATP Masters 1000 QF and SF at Miami (d. Raonic, l. to No. 6 Nishikori)
• Beat No. 4 Wawrinka at Madrid (l. to No. 6 Nishikori in QF) and No. 10 Raonic at Rome (l. to No. 5 Nadal in 3R)
• Reached 2nd week at Wimbledon for 3rd straight year (d. Brown in 5 sets of 2R, l. to No. 2 Murray in 4R)
• Also reached 3R at Australian Open (l. to No. 6 Berdych) and Roland Garros (l. to Gasquet)
• Withdrew from Rotterdam (elbow) and retired in Dubai SF vs. No. 4 Wawrinka (back)

Coric 2016 FastFacts
F(2): Chennai (l. to Wawrinka); Marrakech (l. to Delbonis); QF: Estoril (l. to Kyrgios)
YTD W-L: 20-21 (12-12 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: November 14, 1996
Emirates ATP Ranking: 49
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 2-1 (2015-16 2R)

• Tournament note: The 19-year-old is into 2R for a 2nd consecutive year. He posted a 1R win over Frenchman Benoit Paire 16 63 64 in lone completed main draw match on Sunday
• Began season by reaching 1st ATP World Tour final at Chennai (d. Bautista Agut 76 in 3rd, l. to No. 4 Wawrinka)
• Became 1st teen to play in an ATP final since countryman Cilic at 2008 New Haven (d. Fish)
• Beat Mathieu and Vesely to reach 2nd ATP World Tour final at Marrakech (l. to Delbonis)
• Advanced to Roland Garros 3R for 2nd straight year (d. Fritz and Tomic, l. to Bautista Agut) 
• Reached ATP Masters 1000 3R for 1st time at Indian Wells (d. Pouille and Bellucci, l. to No. 7 Berdych)
• After falling to Goffin in 5 sets, clinched Croatia’s 3-2 win over Belgium in Davis Cup 1R (d. Coppejans)

OTHER 1ST & 2ND ROUND FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS 

[16] Feliciano Lopez (ESP) vs Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) Series Tied 1-1
10 London / Queen’s Club (Great Britain) Grass R32 Feliciano Lopez 6-2 6-4
14 London / Queen’s Club (Great Britain) Grass F Grigor Dimitrov 6-7(8) 7-6(1) 7-6(6)

COURT 4

1R – To Start
[Q] Yuichi Sugita (JPN) vs Alexander Zverev (GER) First Meeting

1R – To Finish (Monaco leads 64 5-3)
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) vs [PR] Juan Monaco (ARG)   Karlovic Leads 2-0
11 ATP Masters 1000 Montreal (Canada) Hard R64 Ivo Karlovic 6-7(2) 6-3 7-6(5)
14 Dusseldorf (Germany) Clay QF Ivo Karlovic 6-4 3-6 6-3

[11] David Goffin (BEL) vs Bernard Tomic (AUS) Series Tied 1-1
12 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R128 David Goffin 3-6 6-3 6-4    6-4
13 Washington (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Bernard Tomic 6-1 6-3

Kevin Anderson (RSA) vs [13] Richard Gasquet (FRA)   Gasquet Leads 5-2
10 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Richard Gasquet 6-4 7-6(3) 7-5
11 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Richard Gasquet 7-6(4) 6-4
11 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France) Hard R32 Richard Gasquet 6-4 7-6(4)
12 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France) Hard R32 Kevin Anderson 7-6(5) 4-6    6-1
14 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-4
15 Australian Open (Australia) Hard R32 Kevin Anderson 6-4   7-6(3) 7-6(6)
15 Roland Garros (France) Clay R32 Richard Gasquet 4-6   7-6(4)7-5 6-4

[Q]  Yuichi Sugita (JPN) vs [15] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) First ATP Meeting
Other meeting:
11 Australian Open Q (Australia) Hard — Yuichi Sugita 6-2 1-0 ret

OR

[Q] Yuichi Sugita (JPN) vs Nicolas Mahut (FRA) First ATP Meeting
Other meeting:
15 St. Brieuc CH (France) Hard F Nicolas Mahut 3-6 7-6(3) 6-4

OR

Alexander Zverev (GER) vs [15] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) Bautista Agut Leads 2-0
13 Hamburg (Germany) Clay R64 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3 6-2
15 Rotterdam (Netherlands) Hard R32 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 6-1

OR

Alexander Zverev (GER) vs Nicolas Mahut (FRA) First Meeting

COURT 10

1R – To Start
Nicolas Mahut (FRA) vs [15] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)         Series Tied 1-1
14 s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) Grass QF Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3 4-6   6-3
15 s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) Grass R16 Nicolas Mahut 6-2 6-4
Other meetings:
10 Rennes CH (France) Hard R16 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 6-7(6) 6-4
11 Cherbourg CH (France) Hard QF Nicolas Mahut 6-4 6-4
11 Sarajevo CH (Bosnia & Herz.) Hard R16 Nicolas Mahut 6-4 3-6   6-2
11 Rennes CH (France) Hard QF Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 7-5

1R – To Finish (3-3)
[Q] Jiri Vesely (CZE) vs Marcel Granollers (ESP) First Meeting

Steve Johnson (USA) vs [PR] Julien Benneteau (FRA)   First ATP Meeting
Other meeting:
14 Bordeaux CH (France) Clay F Julien Benneteau 6-3 6-2

Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs [12] Marin Cilic (CRO)      Series Tied 5-5
07 St. Petersburg (Russia) Carpet SF Fernando Verdasco 6-2 6-3
08 Nottingham (Great Britain) Grass SF Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-1
08 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Hard R32 Marin Cilic 6-2 6-3
09 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France) Hard R16 Marin Cilic 3-6 6-3 6-4
10 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R16 Fernando Verdasco 6-4 7-6(3)
11 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France) Hard R64 Fernando Verdasco 3-6 6-2   6-3
12 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard R16 Marin Cilic 4-6 6-1 6-4
12 Valencia (Spain) Hard R16 Marin Cilic 6-1 6-4
14 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Marin Cilic 7-6(6) 7-6(5)
15 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Clay R32 Fernando Verdasco  6-7(5) 7-6(5)  6-3

Marin Cilic, No. 14 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, announced today his coaching partnership with Jonas Bjorkman. Watch the full announcement exclusively on MyATP to hear Cilic and Bjorkman’s thoughts on their new collaboration. 

Follow all the latest off-court action on MyATP! Download the app for iPhone or Android or visit MyATP.com.

Although players like Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal are grabbing the early headlines at the Western & Southern Open, another veteran player could quietly move his way through the draw.

Pablo Cuevas has been enjoying a career-best year on the ATP World Tour, ccracing the Top 20 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time and currently sitting at a career-high ranking of No. 19. The 30-year-old from Uruguay was regarded by many fans as a doubles specialist after winning the 2008 Roland Garros men’s doubles title with Luis Horna, but is now enjoying high levels of success in singles.

“It’s been a long journey. On the one hand, I am very happy with the ranking that I have reached, but on the other hand I’m not surprised because it isn’t something that just happened overnight,” he said. “It’s thanks to years of hard work. I’ve been taking baby steps. This is the most important step in terms of my ranking, but it’s just one more step.

Cuevas won his first two ATP World Tour titles back-to-back this February in Brazil, prevailing at the Rio Open presented by Claro and the Brasil Open. Since then, he’s finished as runner-up last month at the German Tennis Championships 2016 (l. Klizan) and has also enjoyed success on other surfaces, reaching the final this June at the Aegon Open Nottingham (l. Johnson).

Although his results on hard courts admittedly haven’t met his expectations, that could soon change as well. On Monday, he won his opening round match in Cincinnati over Sam Querrey in three tough sets.

“I’ve improved and become a more complete player,” said Cuevas. “Of course, I still feel most comfortable on clay, but I can play well on every surface.”

With less than 250 Emirates ATP Rankings point to defend for the rest of the year, Cuevas is looking towards making a run inside the Top 10. But he acknowledged that the higher he climbs, the harder it will be to continue moving up.

“If you look at the [Emirates ATP] rankings, there is a lot distance between The Top 20 and the Top 10,” admitted Cuevas. “I’m going to work and fight to see if I can make it. If I get myself into the Top 15 and start 2017 in this position, then I could make Top 10 my goal.”

As the only player from Uruguay inside the Top 400 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, Cuevas has been receiving plenty of attention at home for his accomplishments this year. With he and his brother, Martin, currently flying the flag for tennis in Uruguay, he’s hopeful his results will encourage kids in the country to pick up a racquet.

“In some way, I’m doing my bit to make tennis more popular in Uruguay,” said Cuevas. “It’s a good thing for sport in general in Uruguay, and above all for tennis.”

The world’s best doubles players put on a show for fans at the third edition of the ATP Doubles Showdown at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. 

Hosted by Wayne Bryan, the festivities kicked off with a fun Q&A onstage in the fan zone. Those in attendance were treated to a dance-off between Marcelo Melo and Jean-Julien Rojer and an embarrassing Andy Murray story courtesy of his brother Jamie Murray.

“It’s always great here in Cincinnati,” said Daniel Nestor, World No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings. “That’s why we love playing here. It’s a great event here to help promote our game. We had all the top guys out, which is important to keep this going. It’s a good time.”

Other ATP World Tour doubles stars to join in the showdown included Bruno Soares, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Rohan Bopanna, John Peers, Eric Butorac, Max Mirnyi, Treat Huey, Juan Sebastian Cabal, Henri Kontinen and Raven Klaasen.

“It’s incredible to see people enjoy doubles like this,” said Klaasen, World No. 10 in doubles. “It’s my second year doing this and to see the crowd come out and have fun like this playing tennis, it takes me back to when I was young. We got into the game because it’s a lot of fun.”

Gael Monfils began the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday with a routine win in Cincinnati. The Frenchman lost only nine points on his serve (36/45) to prevail past Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and four minutes.

Ninth seed Monfils never faced a break point and broke the 25 year old twice in the first set and at 6-5 in the second set. The 29 year old improved to 34-11 this season, including 27-7 on hard courts. Monfils also continued to boost his chances to play at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in London, scheduled for 13-20 November.

Monfils is currently in eighth place in the Emirates ATP Race To London, thanks to recent deep runs on the North American hard courts. Last month, he won his first ATP World Tour 500 title at the Citi Open (d. Karlovic). At the Rogers Cup in Toronto, he reached the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament (l. to Djokovic).

In Cincinnati, he’ll try to get past the quarter-finals, which he reached in 2011. Monfils will next face Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who beat Canadian Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 7-5.

John Isner will put his 3-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Milos Raonic on the line when the two meet in the second round. Isner, No. 22 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, took 77 minutes to eliminate Italian Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-2 on Tuesday.

The top-ranked American is coming off his first ATP World Tour final of the season at the BB&T Atlanta Open (l. to Kyrgios). The 6’10” right-hander last beat Raonic in March 2015 on the hard courts in Miami. Isner won 6-7(3), 7-6(6), 7-6(5). Of the seven sets they’ve played, five have ended in a tie-break.

“It’s going to be a tough match for both of us. I’m looking forward to it. Of course it could come down to a few points here or there… Milos is obviously one of the best players in the game right now. I have so much respect for him as well. He does everything the right way,” Isner said. “I believe I can win the match as well. I feel like I’m starting to turn the corner on things.”

Kei Nishikori has firmly entrenched himself in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, but he believes he’s ready to start moving even higher.

The World No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings is the fifth seed at the Western & Southern Open and will face Mikhail Youzhny in his opening match. Nishikori arrives in Cincinnati after defeating Rafael Nadal to win a bronze medal in men’s singles at the Rio Olympics, giving Japan its first Olympic medal in tennis.

“I think he was playing good, but maybe he wasn’t 100 per cent. He was playing a lot of matches, doubles and singles, but I think I played really good tennis,” said Nishikori. “But the week was a great experience and it was a big honour to get a medal.”

The Japanese star credited his work with Michael Chang over the past three years with a vast improvement in his game. Eight of his 11 ATP World Tour titles have come since he began working with the Hall of Famer in January 2014, as well as four of the five occasions where he’s reached the quarter-finals or better at a Grand Slam.

“It’s been working well. My tennis is much more consistent and also more aggressive. I try to come in a little more now,” said Nishikori. “He also has a great eye for all the players and searches for a lot of things about them.”

But Nishikori is far from content. He’s eager to begin correcting his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalries with Andy Murray (1-7) and Novak Djokovic (2-10) in order to start regularly winning the biggest titles on the ATP World Tour.

“I lost to Andy a little bit easily in the Olympics and also lost to Djokovic in two sets in Toronto, so I still have many things to work on to beat those two guys,” said Nishikori. “But slowly, I think I’m getting there.”