The Cincinnati Open tournament organizers have received a lot of praise for their efforts in improving the event.
Ahead of the 2025 tournament, mass renovations completely changed the look of the Cincinnati Open.
As part of a $200+ million investment, the campus was overhauled, as organizers ‘ushered in a new era’.
Several players have praised the changes, including Jannik Sinner, who said he felt ‘honored’ to compete at the event.
The modifications to the event have clearly gone down well, but that’s not to say they should stop there, as there is room to improve for 2026.
The Cincinnati Open should introduce a roof for the 2026 tournament
For all the money spent, the Cincinnati Open still doesn’t have a single court with a roof.
With the scorching hot conditions experienced during the first few days of the tournament, that may not have seemed like an issue, but the weather quickly turned.
Over the past few days, rain has caused several lengthy delays in Cincinnati, causing problems with the schedule.
On Tuesday evening, world number three Alexander Zverev led America’s Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 5-4, when the rain began to fall.
Unable to finish the match on Tuesday, the players returned on Wednesday, where Zverev won the one game required to advance to the fourth round.
Zverev was happy to secure the win, but wasn’t able to celebrate the victory for long, as he played Karen Khachanov later in the day.
Defeating Khachanov in straight sets, Zverev will now prepare for his quarterfinal match against either Ben Shelton or Jiri Lehecka.
Only time will tell if the German will be affected by pulling ‘double duty’ on Wednesday, but it will certainly be something to look out for as the tournament progresses.
It does, however, feel like the problem could have been quite easily avoided had there been a roof on the court.
If the event wants to further increase its reputation, then surely it would make sense to build a roof on at least one of the main courts for future editions of the event.
Reacting to the changes made in Cincinnati before the tournament began, former world number one Daniil Medvedev agreed that the event felt like a Grand Slam.
“Yeah, it does,” he said.
“It’s very similar to Shanghai; Shanghai is also very big, and it really feels like that. If I remember correctly, Shanghai is sometimes considered the fifth Grand Slam or maybe Indian Wells too, but here, it’s probably even better than Indian Wells in terms of conditions.”
He isn’t the only player describing the event as a ‘fifth Slam’, with several other big names praising the facilities.
However, to take that next step and truly be considered on the same level as the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, the Cincinnati Open must consider building a roof to prevent lengthy rain delays.
Cincinnati Open day 10 – Order of play
The rain delays have slightly impacted the schedule, but things look to be back on track now, ahead of the tenth day of the tournament.
There are several big matches to look forward to on Centre Court and Grandstand on Thursday, August 14, including a blockbuster clash between Sinner and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Day 10 order of play – Centre Court
- 1. Lucia Bronzetti v Coco Gauff (4R)
- 2. Jasmine Paolini v Barbora Krejcikova (4R)
- 3. Jannik Sinner v Felix Auger-Aliassime (QF)
- 4. Veronika Kudermetova v Magda Linette (4R)
- 5. Terence Atmane v Holger Rune (QF)
Day 10 order of play – Grandstand
- 1. Brandon Nakashima/Sadio Doumbia v Joe Salisbury/Neal Skupski (3R)
- 2. Caty McNally/Linda Noskova v Gabriela Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe (QF)
- 3. Ella Seidel v Varvara Gracheva (4R)
- 4. Ben Shelton v Jiri Lehecka (4R)
- 5. Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini v Peyton Stearns/Marketa Vondrousova (QF)
You certainly won’t want to miss any of the action, as the stars of the ATP and WTA Tours continue to entertain at the Cincinnati Open.
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