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#NextGenATP stars Sebastian Korda, Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti headline the qualifying field for the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Korda will be competing in qualifying at this event for the third time. The American advanced to his first ATP Masters 1000 main draw at last year's Western & Southern Open, which was held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, Korda was No. 225 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Now, he is World No. 47, just one spot off his career-high FedEx ATP Ranking. The Floridian won his first ATP Tour title in Parma in May.

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Alcaraz is another in-form #NextGenATP player. The Spaniard just lifted his first tour-level trophy last week in Umag. This will be the 18-year-old's first appearance in Cincinnati.

Musetti will also make his Cincinnati debut. The Italian, who pushed Novak Djokovic to a fifth set in the fourth round at Roland Garros, enjoyed impressive hard-court results earlier this year. The 19-year-old advanced to the Acapulco semi-finals and the third round in Miami.

Other players in the qualifying field include Americans Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe, 2019 semi-finalist Richard Gasquet and big-hitting German Jan-Lennard Struff.

Japan's Nishioka advances
#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz began his Western & Southern Open qualifying campaign with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Brazilian Thiago Monteiro on Saturday in Cincinnati.

The 18-year-old has risen from outside the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 54 this year, capturing his first tour-level title in Umag in July. Alcaraz is making his debut in Cincinnati and will next face Ilya Ivashka in the final qualifying round after the World No. 67 defeated American Mitchell Krueger 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

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Fellow #NextGenATP star Lorenzo Musetti was unable to follow in Alcaraz’s footsteps though, falling to former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3 in 74 minutes. The 19-year-old, who forced Novak Djokovic to a fifth set in the fourth round at Roland Garros, has advanced to the semi-finals in Acapulco and the third round in Miami on hard this season.

Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka booked his spot in the second qualifying round with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Egor Gerasimov, while American Tennys Sandgren downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 7-6(6), 6-1.

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World No. 56 Tommy Paul also advanced, overcoming 23-year-old Soonwoo Kwon 6-3, 6-2, with Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis cruising past Italian Gianluca Mager 6-4, 7-5. Later in the day, 15-time tour-level champion Richard Gasquet defeated Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-0. He next faces Jaume Munar after the Spaniard beat Slovakian Norbert Gombos 6-2, 6-2.

South African Kevin Anderson advances
#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz booked his spot in the main draw at the Western & Southern Open on Sunday as he cruised past Belarusian Ilya Ivashka 6-3, 6-4 in the final qualifying round.

The 18-year-old is making his debut in Cincinnati and has enjoyed a breakthrough season, rising from outside the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 54 this year. Alcaraz, who won his first tour-level title in Umag in July, broke Ivashka four times to advance in one hour and 26 minutes.

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Alcaraz will be joined in the main draw by former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson after the South African downed American Steve Johnson 7-6(3), 6-4 in one hour and 40 minutes. Anderson will be making his 10th appearance in Cincinnati, having first competed at the hard-court Masters 1000 event in 2008.

Teenager books second tour-level quarter-final of the season
#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz erased a second-set blip and regrouped emphatically as he saw off fourth seed Marton Fucsovics for a place in the Winston-Salem Open quarter-finals on Wednesday. The 18-year-old advanced to his second tour-level quarter-final of the season 6-3, 0-6, 6-2.

In a first ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair, Alcaraz steadied the ship after he lost the second set in 30 minutes. He broke in the opening game of the deciding set and it was just the reset he required as he carried the shift in momentum to the finish line after two hours and seven minutes.

“Well it has been a great match, a really, really tough match. In the second set I went down absolutely... and I went up [on] my serve a little bit to start the third… I [thought] I could do it. Really happy to get the win,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.


“In this match, I didn’t feel comfortable playing the long rallies. I started to… hit as hard as I can to try to make the points shorter.”

It paid dividends as the teenager won 57 per cent of first-serve points to Fucsovics’ 68 per cent but won three of six break points and saved 11 of the 14 he faced. Alcaraz, who won his first tour-level title in Umag in July, booked a clash with American Marcos Giron, a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 winner over Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Giron’s compatriot Frances Tiafoe backed up his victory over Andy Murray on Tuesday with another straight-sets triumph, this time over Brazilian Thiago Monteiro. The 13th seed booked a quarter-final berth following a 7-5, 7-6(2) win in one hour and 42 minutes.

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Tiafoe was dominant on serve as he claimed 86 per cent of first-serve points and 68 per cent on second-serve points. He fended off both break points faced. He will next meet Swede Mikael Ymer, a 7-5, 6-2 winner over Australian lucky loser Max Purcell.

“It was two tight sets, quick sets I felt like. I was holding pretty swiftly but would not be happy to be playing a third set,” Tiafoe said. “Tonight I served unbelievable…. If you can loosen up from the back a little you can go for it because you’re so confident. Hopefully I can serve like that the rest of the week.”

Spaniard chases revenge against Ymer in semi-finals
#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz reiterated his intentions to add a second ATP Tour title to his resume after he dismissed American Marcos Giron in straight sets in the Winston-Salem Open quarter-finals on Thursday.

The 18-year-old advanced to his third tour-level semi-final and first on hard courts with a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory over the No. 65 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The one-hour, 40-minute victory booked a showdown with Mikael Ymer, following the Swede’s 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-3 trumph over 13th seed Frances Tiafoe.

Alcaraz is the last seed standin and makes no secret of his desire to clinch the title. After falling in his first tour-level semi-final in Marbella (l. to Munar), he went all the way in Umag.


“I thought that I’m able to win the tournament in the first round. I think I have the game, I’m playing really, really well,” Alcaraz said. “I’m feeling really comfortable on court.”

The Spaniard fell to Ymer in the pair’s only prior ATP Head2Head meeting in the second round of this year’s Australian Open. But the teenager felt he had grown as a player in the time since and favoured his chances against the 22-year-old.

“I’m really happy to make my first ATP semi-final on hard court, really excited to play,” Alcaraz said. “I played him once in Australia. He beat me… I think I’m ready and I’m hoping to be able to get the win.

“Everybody knows he’s a great player, really tough but I’m ready for this battle. I played him in Australia but I’m more ready than I was in Australia," he added in his on-court interview.

Alcaraz won 73 per cent of first-serve points and 70 per cent on second serves against Giron. He broke just once from six chances.


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Earlier, Ymer pulled off a come-from-behind victory to improve his ATP Head2Head record against Tiafoe to 2-1. Despite having the shots to hurt his opponent throughout, Tiafoe was unable to inflict any doubt on the Swede, who refused to be fazed.

The American lost the rhythm and patience he displayed in the opening set as increasingly overplayed in the final set. Ymer fended off five break points in the opening game of the third set alone.

“I feel good. It’s fun playing a tournament again after a couple of weeks off training in Stockholm,” Ymer said. “I think it was important today to stay composed. Frances is obviously very talented and can come up with great shots and good variety in his game. Staying composed and just waiting for an opening was a very important task today."