Cincinnati Preview: Federer, Nadal Renew Hardcourt Rivalry in Loaded Field

Seven-time Cincinnati winner Roger Federer returns after resting during the week of the Rogers Cup to take to his happy hunting ground in Ohio.
ADHEREL
Grigor Dimitrov defends championship points, while Federer and Rafael Nadal resume their race for the year-end No. 1 ranking.

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN
CINCINNATI, Ohio; Surface: hard

Seeds: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev, Juan Martin del Potro, Grigor Dimitrov, Kevin Anderson, Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem, John Isner, Novak Djokovic, David Goffin, Diego Schwartzman, Pablo Carreno Busta, Kyle Edmund, Nick Kyrgios, Lucas Pouille

Floaters: Milos Raonic, Frances Tiafoe, Denis Shapovalov, (WC) Mackenzie McDonald, Steve Johnson, Richard Gasquet, Sam Querrey, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Borna Coric, Hyeon Chung, Jack Sock, (WC) Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, (WC) Andy Murray

Notes:

Fourteen of the Top 16 in Cincinnati this week, where the Top 8 seeds receive opening-round byes…

Tough starts for (1) Nadal vs. Raonic, (14) Edmund vs. the American riser (WC) McDonald (winner to face the Shapovalov vs. (WC) Frances Tiafoe winner), (10) Djokovic vs. Johnson, (13) Carreno Busta vs. Gasquet, (9) Isner vs. Querrey in an all-American, (11) Goffin vs. Tsitsipas, (15) Kyrgios vs. a qualifier then Coric, (4) Del Potro vs. the Chung-Sock winner, (12) Schwartzman vs. (WC) Wawrinka (winner to face Nishikori), and (16) Pouille vs. (WC) Murray…

(1) Federer vs. (WC) Murray 3rd rd.? (4) Del Potro vs. (15) Kyrgios 3rd rd.?…

Wildcards were awarded to Americans McDonald and Tiafoe, and Murray and Wawrinka…

Withdrawing from the field were Roberto Bautista Agut, Tomas Berdych, Fabio Fognini and Gael Monfils…

Dimitrov beat Kyrgios in last year’s straight-set final…

Former champions in the field are Dimitrov (2017), Cilic (2016), Federer (2015-14,’12,’10-09,’07,’05), Nadal (2013) and Murray (2011,’08).

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