Tennis

Cincinnati Open 2023 wildcards – who got the invite?

August 18, 2023 5:00 am

Have you had a chance to check out the Cincinnati Open wildcards for 2023? If not, I’m glad you’ve come to this page. Right here, I’ve provided a full breakdown of the Western & Southern Open wildcards for the main events. At the same time, I will be giving daily updates on how these wildcards are performing so that you can track their progression through the draw. 

2023 Cincinnati Open Wildcards

On that note, as a friendly reminder, the Cincinnati Open schedule shows us that the main draw wildcards are kicking off their campaigns on Monday, August 14th. However, there are also a few wildcards involved in the Cincinnati Open qualifying draws too. Of course, I’ve given the key details for both areas below. 

So – ready to expand your knowledge concerning the 2023 Western & Southern Open wildcards? Let’s get started.

Western & Southern Open wildcards – Friday, August 18th updates

If you recall from the update shared yesterday, there are no more Cincinnati Open WTA wildcards left in the women’s events. Unfortunately, all of the wildcards were beaten on Tuesday afternoon/evening in the women’s singles and doubles tournaments. Therefore, from this point onwards, the updates provided will focus solely on the men’s events – both the singles and doubles tournaments. And on that note, there is still plenty of action and news relating to the Western & Southern Open wildcards as we head into Friday, August 18th.

For specifics of these wildcards and how they are faring in the tournament, let me point you to the section below.

Cincinnati Open wildcards – men’s events

In terms of the results relating to the Cincinnati Open ATP wildcards from yesterday, it was a bit of a mixed bag. In fact, it was a bit of a disaster for the wildcards involved in the singles event, as they were both taken out yesterday. But for the wildcards left in the doubles event, both of them managed to get a win and advance to the quarter-finals. As for the specific results, I’ve listed these below:

  • Purcell beat Wawrinka (WC) – 6-4 6-2
  • Mannarino beat McDonald (WC) – 6-4 3-0 ret.
  • Eubanks/Shelton (WC) beat Ebden/Bopanna (4th seeds) – 7-6 2-6 10-7
  • Musetti/Sonego (WC) beat Arevalo/Rojer – 6-4 7-6

Although Wawrinka beat the 10th seed in the previous round, he was beaten quite comfortably by Max Purcell, a qualifier who is on quite the run this week. And in the case of McDonald, he seemed to pick up an injury during his match with Mannarino – retiring in the middle of the second set. Anyway, this means that all wildcards in the men’s singles are now out of the event. But for the men’s doubles, the American duo of Eubanks/Shelton and the Italian pair of Musetti/Sonego are still going strong. In fact, as referenced above, these Western & Southern Open wildcards are now in the quarter-finals, and their next matches are as follows:

  • Eubanks/Shelton (WC) vs Gonzalez/Roger-Vasselin (6th seeds)
  • Musetti/Sonego (WC) vs Murray/Venus

Of course, if either of these wildcards are able to beat their opponents later today, they will then be in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open. This would be quite a remarkable achievement. After all, wildcards aren’t normally expected to progress this deep into the draw, so it’s going to be exciting to see whether either pair can make it!

Cincinnati Open wildcards – Thursday, August 17th updates

It was a tale of two completely different stories yesterday at the Western & Southern Open. I say this because the Cincinnati Open WTA wildcards were completely eliminated from the tournament – in both the singles and doubles events. But for the Cincinnati Open ATP wildcards, each and every one of them secured a place in the next round by winning their matches yesterday. So clearly, it’s the men that have stood tall when it comes to representing the Western & Southern Open wildcards best this year.

As for the respective results from yesterday’s matches and what lies ahead for the wildcards, let me share the specifics right now.

WTA – Western & Southern Open wildcards

The wildcards in the women’s event yesterday were involved in four matches in total. Of course, each match had a different ‘wildcard player’ involved. And sadly, there wasn’t a single wildcard that managed to make it through to the next round. In fact, 2x wildcards were beaten in the singles event and 2x wildcards were taken out in the doubles event. As for the results, I’ve listed them here:

  • Zheng beat V.Williams (WC) – 1-6 6-2 6-1
  • Swiatek (1st seed) beat Collins (WC) – 6-1 6-0
  • Chan/Olmos (7th seeds) beat Brady/Muhammad (WC) – 7-5 6-2
  • Krawczyk/Schuurs (5th seeds) beat Navarro/Stearns (WC) – 6-7 6-3 10-4

ATP – Western & Southern Open wildcards

Although it might be the end of the line for the Cincinnati Open wildcards for the women, the men are still going strong. In fact, since all three wildcards won their matches yesterday, there are now 4x wildcards that have made it to the ‘round of 16’. This is obviously pretty awesome for the respective players, and I’d like to show you the three results that came through from yesterday’s matches right now:

  • McDonald (WC) beat Rune (6th seed) – 6-4 2-0 ret.
  • Wawrinka (WC) beat Tiafoe (10th seed) – 6-3 6-4
  • Musetti/Sonego (WC) beat Granollers/Zeballos (8th seeds) – 3-6 7-5 10-3

Of the three results shown here, I feel that Wawrinka’s win over Tiafoe is the most impressive. He played some stunning tennis to take out the 10th seed. Yet for all of these wildcards, it’s only going to get tougher as the tournament progresses. In fact, I’ve listed their next matches here so that you can see what’s coming up next:

  • McDonald (WC) vs Mannarino
  • Wawrinka (WC) vs Purcell
  • Arevalo/Rojer vs Musetti/Sonego (WC)
  • Bopanna/Ebden (4th seeds) vs Eubanks/Shelton (WC)

Just to confirm, all of these matches are scheduled to be played later today/this evening.

2023 Western & Southern Open wildcards – Wednesday, August 16th updates

The deeper we go into the Cincinnati Open, the more difficult it gets for the wildcards who are part of the main draw. Of course, with each passing round, the opponents will get tougher, and it becomes less likely that the wildcards will be able to grab a win. However, based on the results over the last couple of days, the Cincinnati Open wildcards are doing rather well for the 2023 event. You will see just how well they are doing when you read through my recap of the results from Tuesday, August 15th.

These results are showcased for both the men’s and women’s events below. Additionally, while I’ve discussed the results of these events, I’ve also taken some time to look ahead to the wildcard matches that are coming up today. So, if you wish to track the progress of the Western & Southern Open wildcards before they get started today, let me direct your attention to the sections below.

ATP Cincinnati Open wildcards

Starting with the wildcards for the men’s event, just two wildcards were in action yesterday. In fact, only one of the wildcards was starting their match from scratch. As for the other, Wawrinka had to come out and complete his match against Nakashima, which was delayed at 5-2 in the final set to Wawrinka. Anyway, these matches have since been completed, and the results can be viewed below:

  • McDonald (WC) beat Hanfmann – 7-5 6-1
  • Wawrinka (WC) beat Nakashima (WC) – 6-3 6-7 6-3

As you can see, these results show that two wildcards have progressed into the second round from these two matches. In fact, these guys are now the last two wildcards left in the draw for the men’s singles. Yet when it comes to the next rounds involving the Cincinnati Open wildcards, there are a few matches coming up today:

  • Tiafoe (10th seed) vs Wawrinka (WC)
  • Rune (6th seed) vs McDonald (WC)
  • Musetti/Sonego (WC) vs Granollers/Zeballos (8th seeds)

WTA Cincinnati Open wildcards

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a successful day for the Western & Southern Open wildcards in the women’s singles event. In fact, both of the wildcards who were playing yesterday went down in straight sets. These players involved Stearns and Wozniacki. However, it was a very successful day for the wildcards in the women’s doubles event, as both pairs beat their opponents to make it through. The exact results can be viewed below:

  • Kasatkina (14th seed) beat Stearns (WC) – 6-2 6-1
  • Gracheva (LL) beat Wozniacki (WC) – 6-4 6-4
  • Brady/Muhammad (WC) beat Jabeur/Martic – 6-3 6-4
  • Navarro/Stearns (WC) beat Azarenka/Haddad Maia – 7-5 6-3

This shows that the Cincinnati Open wildcards had a 50% success rate yesterday, and there is more action involving these wildcards this afternoon/evening. Here are the matches coming up involving such players:

  • Swiatek (1st seed) vs Collins (WC)
  • Zheng vs V.Williams (WC)
  • Brady/Muhammad (WC) vs Chan/Olmos (7th seeds)
  • Navarro/Stearns (WC) vs Krawczyk/Schuurs (4th seeds)

Mattek-Sands/Potapova (WC) vs Pavlyuchenkova/Stefani

Cincinnati Open wildcards 2023 – Tuesday, August 15th updates

The Western & Southern Open wildcards have been known since before the main draw started, of course. In fact, there were also wildcards involved in the qualifying draw this year, as documented in my initial preview of the wildcards for this event. And since the main draw is now rolling, these wildcards are now fighting to get through a few rounds and earn some much-needed points. I say this as by nature, the Cincinnati Open wildcards were not ranked high enough for a direct main draw entry. Therefore, if they are to reverse that for the upcoming tournaments, they need to squeeze through a round or two to boost their cumulative point totals.

After all, there is no guarantee that the Cincinnati Open wildcards will then be awarded a wildcard for the next tournament, or even the tournament after that. So they have been given a great opportunity here – courtesy of the tournament organizers. Anyway, this is just to give you an idea of exactly what the wildcards are battling for this week. And since one day of the Cincinnati Open has gone by, it’s time for the second installment of updates relating to these players.

Therefore, if you would like to catch up on the recent developments pertaining to the Western & Southern Open wildcards, I’d advise that you read through the sections below.

Western & Southern Open wildcards – men’s events

A few of the men’s wildcards were in action at the Cincinnati Open yesterday, while a few of them are due to start their campaigns today only. On that note, it was a very interesting day of tennis for the wildcards. We had weather interruptions, plenty of drama, and top-level tennis was seen all around the grounds on Monday, August 14th. Yet at the end of the day, how did the Cincinnati Open wildcards get on with their first-round matches? Well, let me show you:

  • Thompson beat Isner (WC) – 7-6 7-6
  • Wawrinka (WC) leads Nakashima (WC) – 6-3 6-7 5-2
  • Eubanks/Shelton (WC) beat Gille/Vliegen – 7-5 6-4
  • Gonzalez/Molteni beat Tiafoe/McDonald (WC) – 6-4 4-1 retired

As you can see here, John Isner fell at the first hurdle against Jordan Thompson, going down in two tie-break sets. The same fate materialized for Tiafoe/McDonald too, although they retired from that match at one set and 4-1 down. So that means that two Cincinnati Open wildcards are out of the tournament already. Yet for Eubanks/Shelton, they produced a big win against Gille/Vliegen to reach the second round.

And most interestingly of all, Wawrinka was 5-2 up in the third set against Nakashima before play was suspended. What a time to suspend the match! Anyway, these two are due to finish today.

Women’s events – Western & Southern Open wildcards

Just two of the women’s wildcards managed to play yesterday in the singles event. Furthermore, none of the wildcards for the doubles event were able to compete yesterday. This means that I’ve got just two results to share with you, and the results might shock you:

  • V.Williams (WC) beat Kudermetova (16th seed) – 6-4 7-6
  • Potapova beat Naef (WC) – 1-6 6-4 7-5

Of course, this is awesome for Venus Williams that she has recorded a win over the 16th seed in her opening match. She has shown that even at 43 years of age, she can still hang with and beat some of the best players in the world – quite remarkable. But sadly, her success wasn’t replicated in the case of Celine Naef. While Naef put up a great fight against Potapova, she went down in three sets.

Western & Southern Open wildcards – Monday, August 14th updates

As you will already know if you checked out my initial breakdown of the Cincinnati Open wildcards, there are 9 of them in the main draw. And with today marking the beginning of the main draw, minus the exception of a few games played last night, it makes sense to give you an idea of what’s to come regarding these players. Of course, I will keep the focus on those who are scheduled to play in the tournament today to ensure things stay as relevant as possible. Yet also, with the next set of first-round matches due to be played tomorrow, I can give you a heads-up on who these wildcards are facing. 

Anyway, there is a lot to get through since all of the Western & Southern Open wildcards are still in the draw at this point. So let’s get right to it.

Cincinnati Open ATP wildcards

Although I’ve stressed above that there are 9 Cincinnati Open wildcards in the main draw, this number doesn’t include doubles players. However, since the men’s doubles draw also involves a few wildcard entrants, I will cover these guys too. Specifically, of the 3 wildcards awarded for the men’s doubles event, two of them are playing today. Additionally, 2 of the 4 wildcards for the singles event are playing today too. Here is the lineup for those who are hoping to keep track of these wildcards today:

  • John Isner (WC) vs Jordan Thompson
  • Brandon Nakashima (WC) vs Stan Wawrinka (WC)
  • Eubanks/Shelton (WC) vs Gille/Vliegen
  • McDonald/Tiafoe (WC) vs Gonzalez/Molteni

It’s great to see that John Isner is still competing at this level, and he has a decent shot against Jordan Thompson today. As for the other singles match, that should be a great encounter, yet we are guaranteed to lose one wildcard when it finishes.

Cincinnati Open WTA wildcards

Moving our eyes to the Western & Southern Open wildcards for the women’s event, once again, several of them are in action today. These matches can be viewed in the details below:

  • Venus Williams (WC) vs Veronika Kudermetova
  • Elina Svitolina vs Caroline Wozniacki (WC)
  • Celine Naef (WC) vs Anastasia Potapova
  • Mattek-Sands/Potapova (WC) vs Pavlyuchenkova/Stefani

Given that the women’s doubles have three wildcards in play for the tournament, you can see that one of them is due to play today. However, it’s a different story for the singles tournament, as three of the five Cincinnati Open wildcards will open their campaigns today. And I must say – the match involving Wozniacki vs Svitolina is my pick of the bunch.

2023 Cincinnati Open wildcards explained

Let’s not run before we can walk. Although I’ve got all of the key information you need for these wildcards going into the tournament, have you ever stopped to think about how these are issued? Well, it’s helpful to know that before simply looking at who has been given one for the 2023 Cincinnati Open. So, let me give you the answer. The tournament organizers are the ones who determine who should receive the Western & Southern Open wildcards each year. They work in tandem with the USTA to make these decisions, and the result of such discussions then shines through in the form of who is awarded a wildcard for the event.

To clarify, there are wildcards issued for both the men’s and women’s tournaments, including the doubles tournaments. And for the 2023 Cincinnati Open, a total of 9 wildcards have been issued for the singles tournaments. This is split into five wildcards for the women and four wildcards for the men. However, the exact numbers are slightly different for the doubles events. Anyway, keeping the focus on the singles events for the Western & Southern Open wildcards, I’d like to now highlight the players who have received one and why.

Cincinnati Open WTA wildcards

As mentioned above, five wildcards have been awarded for the Cincinnati Open WTA tournament. I’ve shared details for each of these players below, while also explaining why they might have received one from the tournament organizers. 

Danielle Collins

Danielle Collins has had her fair share of injuries in recent times, and her ranking is down to 48 as a result. However, following her run to the quarter-finals at the Canadian Open, she has certainly earned the right to a wildcard for this event.

Celine Naef

Sometimes, it’s the young guns that are given the opportunity to skip into the main draw and avoid qualifying. This is the case with Celine Naef – an 18-year-old from Switzerland that is currently ranked 162 in the world. Naef is one of the lesser-known wildcards, yet she did qualify for Wimbledon this year, and she shows plenty of promise.

Peyton Stearns

Peyton Stearns qualified for the Canadian Open last week before she was beaten in the opening round by Leylah Fernandez – a Canadian Open wildcard, as it happens. She’s currently ranked 57 in the world, and at 21, she’s one to watch for the future.

Venus Williams

A true legend of the game, it’s no great shock to see that Venus Williams has been given a Cincinnati Open wildcard. She’s playing in all of the top events right now, often receiving a wildcard due to her legendary status in the sport.

Caroline Wozniacki

Despite not even having a ranking, Wozniacki received a wildcard last week in Montreal. She also won a round before she was taken out by the 9th seed, and as you can see, she’s been awarded a wildcard for this event too.

Cincinnati Open ATP wildcards

Switching the focus to the Western & Southern Open wildcards for the men now, there are four players that received the golden ticket into this 1000-level event, as revealed below.

John Isner

Isner is a veteran of the sport, and he is still taking on the top players despite being 38 years of age. Yet at 114 in the world, Isner wouldn’t even make the qualifying draw, so he has been granted a wildcard this year.

Mackenzie McDonald

McDonald enjoyed a simply huge week at the Canadian Open last week. He went all the way to the quarter-finals before losing to Davidovich Fokina. Therefore, he has become the proud owner of one of the Cincinnati Open wildcards due to his run in Toronto.

Brandon Nakashima

Nakashima made the main draw directly for the Canadian Open last week, but he lost his opener to Lehecka. And at 74 in the rankings right now, he would have struggled to gain entry into this event without a wildcard. 

Stan Wawrinka

Wawrinka is actually the highest-ranked player of all the Cincinnati Open wildcards. He is 49 in the world right now, and he is also 38 years of age, just like Isner. Therefore, between these guys, they are flying the flag for the old-timers in this event!

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