Ten Former Champions Highlight 2026 Cincinnati Open Singles Field

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Open has announced the initial singles player fields for the 2026 tournament, with 10 former champions among the competitors expected to take the courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center from Aug. 8-23.

The ATP and WTA 1000 event is expected to feature many of the top-ranked players in professional tennis, including defending champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, who captured the women’s and men’s singles titles in Cincinnati in 2025.

Returning former Cincinnati champions include:

• Iga Swiatek (2025)
• Carlos Alcaraz (2025)
• Aryna Sabalenka (2024)
• Jannik Sinner (2024)
• Coco Gauff (2023)
• Novak Djokovic (2023, 2020, 2018)
• Alexander Zverev (2021)
• Madison Keys (2019)
• Daniil Medvedev (2019)
• Karolina Pliskova (2016)

Tournament Director Bob Moran said the strength of the field reflects the significance of the Cincinnati Open on both the ATP and WTA calendars, noting that every available player ranked inside the top 75 on both tours entered the tournament.

The initial entry list includes players from 38 countries, with 24 Americans—12 men and 12 women—scheduled to compete. Among them are Cincinnati-area natives Caty McNally and Peyton Stearns, giving local fans two hometown players to follow during the tournament.

The field also features many of the sport’s most accomplished players entering the second half of the season.

A total of 43 players have already won at least one tour title during the 2026 season, including 24 ATP and 19 WTA competitors. Sinner enters Cincinnati leading the ATP Tour with six titles this year, including victories in all five Masters 1000 tournaments played so far in 2026. On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva share the WTA Tour lead with three titles each.

Overall, 108 of the 153 players entered have won at least one career ATP or WTA singles title, while 15 players are Grand Slam singles champions.

Eight competitors have previously held the world No. 1 ranking, including current top-ranked players Sabalenka and Sinner. Other former No. 1 players in the field include Swiatek, Alcaraz, Naomi Osaka, Pliskova, Djokovic and Medvedev.

Three players—Holger Rune, Juncheng Shang and Lois Boisson—will compete using injury-protected rankings.

The singles draw will be finalized after a two-round qualifying tournament scheduled for Aug. 11-12, with 12 additional players advancing into each main draw. Tournament organizers will also award several wild card entries before competition begins.

Tournament activities will begin with Community Weekend on Aug. 8-9, featuring public practice sessions and family-oriented events before main-draw play gets underway. Championship weekend is scheduled for Aug. 22-23, with the singles semifinals on Saturday followed by the men’s and women’s championship matches on Sunday.

The Cincinnati Open attracted approximately 285,000 spectators during the 2025 tournament. Ahead of last year’s event, the Lindner Family Tennis Center completed a $260 million renovation project in partnership with the City of Mason, Warren County and the State of Ohio, expanding the venue and upgrading player and fan facilities.

Conclusion

With a field featuring multiple Grand Slam champions, former world No. 1 players, defending tournament champions and many of the top-ranked competitors on both the ATP and WTA Tours, the 2026 Cincinnati Open once again stands as one of the premier stops on the professional tennis calendar ahead of the US Open. The tournament offers players one final opportunity to compete in a Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event before the season’s final Grand Slam while giving fans the chance to watch many of the sport’s biggest stars in one of tennis’ most historic venues. The singles fields will be finalized following the qualifying tournament and the announcement of wild card selections in the days leading up to the start of main-draw competition.