A night of high drama and unpredictable Midwest weather brought play to a halt at the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, with both Alexander Zverev and Jessica Pegula left stranded mid-match as lightning forced a suspension of evening play.
Zverev, the men’s third seed, was on the verge of victory against American Brandon Nakashima when officials ordered players off court due to lightning in the area. The German was leading 6-4, 5-4 and about to serve for the match when the interruption came.
In a near-identical scenario, women’s third seed Jessica Pegula was building momentum in her third-round match against Poland’s Magda Linette. After dropping the opening set in a tight tiebreak 7-6 (7/5), Pegula responded by taking the second set 6-3 before play was suspended.
The evening storm, which included flashes of lightning and eventually heavy rain, forced tournament officials to cancel all remaining matches for the night. Among those affected was American Ben Shelton, fresh off his Toronto title, who never made it onto the court for his match against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.
Alcaraz Cruises in the Heat
Earlier in the day, world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz made light work of the searing 32°C heat to become the first player to book a spot in the fourth round. The Spaniard dispatched Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in 95 minutes to notch his 50th win of the season.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in the day, world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz made light work of the searing 32°C heat to become the first player to book a spot in the fourth round. The Spaniard dispatched Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in 95 minutes to notch his 50th win of the season.
{{/usCountry}}"Medjedovic doesn't like to run that much, so I tried to move him around," Alcaraz explained. "But it wasn’t easy. The ball was flying, and he was hitting it so fast."
Alcaraz now boasts 13 straight wins at the Masters 1000 level in 2025 as he continues his chase of top-ranked Jannik Sinner. He’ll face Italy’s Luca Nardi next, after the Italian advanced past Czech teenager Jakub Mensik, who retired injured at 2-6, 1-2.
Preparing for the US Open, Alcaraz added: “Not every day you feel your best. The key is staying positive and finding ways to win. I’m proud of how I managed today’s conditions.”
Gauff Advances Without Playing
In the women’s draw, defending champion Coco Gauff advanced to the fourth round without hitting a ball. Her opponent, Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, withdrew ahead of their scheduled match due to illness.
Gauff, who followed her 2023 Cincinnati title with a maiden Grand Slam win at the US Open, will face either Jelena Ostapenko or Lucia Bronzetti in the next round.
“It’s never ideal to go through like this,” Gauff said. “I hope Dayana feels better soon. I’m excited to get back on court and keep building my level.”