The US Open Sets the Tone, Breaking a Three-Year Streak
In 2023, Novak Djokovic won an epic Cincinnati final against Carlos Alcaraz and went on to win the US Open. As of right now, it was his last Grand Slam title. In 2024, Jannik Sinner rebounded from a scandal by winning Cincinnati and the US Open back-to-back. In 2025, Alcaraz avenged that Cincinnati final loss, then won the US Open to reclaim the title of best player in the world.
Then 2026 rolled around.
The US Open Breaks Three-Year Streak
There was no shortage of significance to the 2026 Cincinnati Open.
Arthur Fils, after seasons of being unable to reach his full potential due to incessant injuries, won his first Masters 1000 title. He did so in grand fashion, upsetting three top-10 seeds and sealing his title with a 6-0 set. Heading into the US Open, Fils was seeded tenth and had all the form and momentum on his side—along with a three-year precedent of the Cincinnati champion going on to win the US Open.
With plenty of uncertainty at the top of men’s tennis, especially with Sinner out of the tournament, there was plenty of room for Fils. But he didn’t take advantage of it.
In the first round, Fils faced Stefanos Tsitsipas, a once-top player who entered the US Open outside the top 50. The last few years have been a struggle for Tsitsipas, especially at this level, and when Fils went up a set and a break, the win seemed all but assured. He served for the set at 5-4, but Tsitsipas broke back and won the second set in a tiebreak. Tsitsipas cruised from there, and all of a sudden Fils was out of the US Open.
The loss was disappointing for Fils and encouraging for Tsitsipas, but the wider context makes it important for every player in the draw. Plenty of streaks hang over the US Open on the men’s side—defending the title since Roger Federer in 2008, American men winning since Andy Roddick in 2003—and while they don’t really matter concretely to the players, that sort of thing still hangs in the air. Now, at the US Open, the sky is a little clearer.
For the last three years, the best player of the North American hard court swing won Cincinnati, then won the US Open. Now the door is open for someone who hasn’t been as dominant in the lead-up. Alcaraz, of course, springs to mind, as he hasn’t played since Barcelona but won his first round handily. Ben Shelton was the star of the swing until his second-round loss in Cincinnati. Daniil Medvedev, a former US Open champion, had a catastrophic summer hard-court swing, but if Fils’ trajectory can be reversed, then so can Medvedev’s.
For countless more players, opportunities at the US Open have gotten just a bit more real, as they always do when a genuine contender goes out.
The Last Word
In tennis, like all other sports, streaks mean something until they don’t.
Maybe Tsitsipas was just playing too well, or Fils didn’t have the level. There’s an overall inconsistency on the ATP that wasn’t present when Djokovic or Sinner or Alcaraz were dominating. The pattern didn’t truly mean anything in terms of Arthur Fils’ chance to win the US Open, but it still sets a tone: things are going to be a little different this year. A little more chaotic, perhaps reminiscent of the pure pandemonium that was this year’s French Open.
Whatever the case may be, Fils losing in the first round provided something different. And next Sunday, in some way, something new will happen.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
