It was an extremely eventful week at the ATP Cincinnati Masters, with several rain delays, many exciting matches, and several upsets. In the end, only two players are left after surviving a third set tiebreak in the semifinals: World #1 Jannik Sinner and Frances Tiafoe, who is looking to win the biggest title of his career.
ATP Cincinnati Final Prediction
Jannik Sinner vs Frances Tiafoe
Head-to-head: Sinner 3-1 Tiafoe
Both players survived two very tough battles on their way to this final, including a third set tiebreak in the semifinals. Sinner’s battle with Zverev was particularly brutal, but Tiafoe isn’t really likely to be any fresher given his run this week.
While Sinner is playing for playing for a third career Masters 1000 title to add to his Slam title, Tiafoe will be playing the biggest final of his career to date. Sinner is also playing to be the first repeat Masters 1000 champion of 2024, while Tiafoe would be the seventh different champion in seven events.
Tiafoe has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to challenge the best players in the world, but he tends to falter in the biggest moments and come up just slightly short, like against Alcaraz at Wimbledon. Despite being much younger, Sinner also has far more experience in these big matches and he is the World #1 for a reason. As well as Tiafoe has played all week, he should provide a very stern challenge to the Italian and has a real chance of winning a first Masters 1000, but ultimately you would have to favor Sinner to win a first Cincinnati title, gain some momentum ahead of the US Open and increase his lead at the top of the ATP rankings. Tiafoe will need a massive serving day and a lot of clutch shotmaking in tight spots to produce an upset here.
Prediction: Sinner in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
