Kovacevic Stuns Khachanov in Cincinnati Opening Round as Seeds Wobble on Both Tours

The opening rounds of a Masters 1000 and a WTA 1000 rarely produce quiet afternoons, and the Cincinnati hard courts duly delivered. The result of the day belonged to Aleksandar Kovacevic, who recovered from losing a tight opening set to beat Karen Khachanov 5-7 6-3 7-6. The American absorbed the first-set setback, took control in the middle of the match and then held his nerve in a third-set tie-break — the sort of margin that separates a first-round exit from a place in the second round.

Khachanov was not the only established name to fall. Marin Cilic, a former Cincinnati protagonist and one of the most experienced players in the draw, led by a set against Daniel Merida before the match turned decisively: the Spaniard reeled off 6-1 6-1 to complete a 3-6 6-1 6-1 win. Fabian Marozsan suffered a similar reversal against Michael Zheng, who lost the first set 3-6, levelled with a 6-1 rush and then edged the decider in a tie-break.

Elsewhere in the men's draw, the tie-break was the currency of the day. Nuno Borges needed two of them to see off Thanasi Kokkinakis 5-7 7-6 7-6 in what was, on the scoreline, the most finely balanced match on the men's side. Marco Trungelliti also came through a breaker to beat Hamad Medjedovic 7-5 7-6, while Adam Walton found a decisive gear after an opening-set tie-break to overwhelm Nicolas Mejia 7-6 6-0. Jaime Faria was the cleanest winner of the group, dismissing Jenson Brooksby 6-3 6-2.

On the WTA side, the match of the day was a three-hour-type grind: Liudmila Samsonova outlasted Yulia Putintseva 7-6 5-7 7-5, surviving a set point-laden opening breaker, a Putintseva response in the second and a decider that stayed on serve until the very end. Samsonova's reward is immediate and severe — she meets Coco Gauff on Sunday.

There was reward too for two former Grand Slam champions. Sofia Kenin lost the first set 1-6 to Eva Lys before reorganising completely to win 6-3 6-3, and Sloane Stephens produced a controlled 7-5 6-3 win over Sinja Kraus. Tereza Valentova beat Mary Stoiana 6-2 7-6, holding on after the second-set tie-break threatened to stretch the match, and Qiang Wang was efficient in dispatching Hanne Vandewinkel 6-4 6-3.

At Challenger level in Brownsburg, the quarter-finals produced their own drama. Jack Pinnington Jones came from a set down to beat Andres Andrade 4-6 7-5 7-6, while Andre Ilagan recovered from a heavy second set to see off Tristan Schoolkate 6-4 2-6 6-1.

Sunday's Cincinnati programme brings the top seeds into the equation. Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one, opens against Talia Gibson; Elena Rybakina faces Taylor Townsend in what looks the most awkward of the elite assignments; and Iga Swiatek meets Emiliana Arango. Mirra Andreeva plays Oleksandra Oliynykova, Marta Kostyuk draws the in-form Kenin, and Elina Svitolina must handle Valentova's momentum. On the men's side, Alexander Zverev faces Cameron Norrie, Daniil Medvedev must deal with Trungelliti, Taylor Fritz meets Alex Michelsen in an all-American test, and Ben Shelton takes on Faria. Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Lorenzo Musetti and Frances Tiafoe also enter the draw.