Cincinnati Draws Revealed: Projected quarter-finals, key first-rounders and more

The draws for the Western and Southern Open were supposed to be “revealed” at a “draw party” on Facebook,  hosted by the tournament. An hour before that time, the draws were leaked all over social media. 

No matter, any time is a good time for the first joint ATP/WTA draw since the coronavirus pandemic shut down tennis. 

Popcorn first-round matchups 

The draws have revealed several enticing matchups between top players in the first round, including Andy Murray v Frances Tiafoe (with the winner facing Alexander Zverev) on the men’s side and Venus Williams v Dayana Yastremska on the women’s side. Coco Gauff is slated to face Greece’s Maria Sakkari, while last week’s Lexington winner Jennifer Brady will open against 2010 champion Kim Clijsters.

Get the 🍿 ready for these first-round clashes!@CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/25PkOcx8M4

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 20, 2020

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov, seeded 12th, will face off with 2016 champion Marin Cilic, while Dan Evans will face tenth-seeded Andrey Rublev.

Potential Quarter-Finals

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic could face some young talent early on in New York. He’s slated to face American Tommy Paul or a qualifier in the second round and could face 20-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round. The Serb, a champion in 2018 at Cincinnati, is riding a 21-match winning streak that dates back to his appearance at the Davis Cup finals in Madrid last year. 

And the women’s singles! pic.twitter.com/6jXGcG76s2

— Tennis Majors (@Tennis_Majors) August 20, 2020

If the seeds hold Djokovic would face Belgium’s David Goffin in the quarter-finals. Two-time champion Serena Williams would face Great Britian’s Johanna Konta in the last eight on the women’s side, if the seeds hold.

Here are all four potential quarter-final matchups in both the men’s singles and the women’s singles draw: 

Men’s Singles: 

• [1] Novak Djokovic – [7] David Goffin 
• [3] Daniil Medvedev – [8] Roberto Bautista Agut 
• [4] Stefanos Tsitsipas – [6] Matteo Berrettini 
• [2] Dominic Thiem – [5] Alexander Zverev

Women’s Singles: 

• [1] Karolina Pliskova – [5] Aryna Sabalenka
• [4] Naomi Osaka – [6] Petra Kvitova 
• [8] Johanna Konta – [3] Serena Williams 
• [7] Madison Keys – [2] Sofia Kenin
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