At the Cincinnati Masters 1000, Martín Landaluce ended a difficult run of form and earned his place in the third round with a tense victory over Matteo Arnaldi. The Madrid-born player, who arrived in the United States after five consecutive first-round exits, beat the Italian, listed at ATP No. 34, in three sets: 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Rain interrupted the match, which turned on a final-set comeback: Arnaldi led 2-0 and later 4-2 before Landaluce recovered to close out the win. The three-set result sent Landaluce through to the round of 32.
Landaluce’s next opponent will be Argentina’s Thiago Agustín Tirante, who delivered the tournament’s biggest surprise by knocking out Novak Djokovic. The Serbian, returning to competition after reaching the Wimbledon semifinal, struggled physically, especially in the second set, and could not find his rhythm. Tirante capitalized on Djokovic’s errors at basic moments and closed out the match 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Djokovic’s serve was inconsistent, and Tirante earned 15 break points, converting two. The turning point came late in the second set, when Djokovic missed a volley and a drop shot at 4-4, shifting momentum to the Argentine.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Spanish hopes suffered a setback as Cristina Bucsa was eliminated in the second round by Poland’s Maja Chwalinska, the Roland Garros runner-up, 6-2, 6-2. The men’s draw also saw Cobolli defeat Kecmanovic 6-1, 4-6, 6-3; Blockx beat Navone 6-3, 6-4; Tabilo overcome Struff 6-3, 6-4; Mensik defeat Bellucci 7-5, 2-6, 7-6; and Vallejo beat Vacherot 6-3, 6-3. In the women’s draw, Anisimova, Eala, Noskova, Frech, Shnaider, Kalinskaya and Zhang all advanced. Eala’s opponent, Ruse, retired early in the second set.
The Cincinnati Masters 1000 is a basic stop in the North American hard-court swing before the US Open, the season’s final Grand Slam, and offers a snapshot of players’ form ahead of the major. Its ranking points and high-level matchups make progress through the draw valuable as players build momentum for New York. This year’s unpredictable results echo surprises in other recent sporting events, including standout performances by Spanish athletes at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, where unexpected outcomes also shaped the headlines. For more on how Spanish competitors have made their mark internationally, see the coverage of record-breaking Spanish race walkers in Birmingham.
Landaluce’s progress in Cincinnati marks a impressive turnaround after a challenging period, while Tirante’s win over Djokovic highlights the volatility and physical demands of the tour. For both players, the tournament’s later rounds offer another test before the US Open, with ranking points and confidence at stake.
