The Cincinnati Open has suffered another major withdrawal as world No.1 Jannik Sinner pulled out due to a knee issue, joining Carlos Alcaraz on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka's No.1 ranking is under threat after a shock exit in Toronto.
Sinner pulls out of Cincinnati
Sinner, who had already skipped the Canadian Masters 1000 event, visited medical clinics in Italy before deciding to withdraw. The 2024 champion said: "After consulting with my doctors and my team, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati. My right knee has been bothering me, and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I'm not ready to compete yet."
With Alcaraz also out, neither of last year's finalists will feature in Cincinnati, raising questions about Sinner's fitness ahead of the US Open.
Fonseca scared after ankle scare
Joao Fonseca's Canadian Open run ended in the fourth round with a 6-3 7-6(3) loss to Ben Shelton. During the match, Fonseca appeared to hurt his ankle after landing awkwardly. He later said: "Nothing serious. Just something that I felt in the moment. And then after, I just started not feeling it anymore. But it was just scary. I was just scared."
Sabalenka's ranking in danger
Sabalenka, who has held the top spot for 103 weeks, lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(3) 4-6 6-4 in Toronto. If Elena Rybakina wins the Canadian Open, she will be just four points behind Sabalenka in the rankings. Rybakina said: "Well, I try not to think about it because still a lot of matches I got to win. I was not playing that well in grass court season as I wanted, so for me the most important thing now is to see the improvement."
Sabalenka wrote on social media: "leaving toronto with a lot of love and lessons to learn. onto the next @cincytennis."
