Top seed Zverev bundled out by Paul in rain-hit Cincinnati upset

Cincinnati Masters: Tommy Paul upsets top seed Zverev in rain-hit match

Tommy Paul, from the United States, defeated Alexander Zverev, the top seed, in a surprising upset at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday. The match was halted for 90 minutes in the seventh game of the second set due to rain and featured two additional five-minute pauses to dry the court. Zverev had a chance to win the tiebreaker at 6-5 but missed a volley.

The German regained control in the deciding set, taking a 4-2 lead, but Paul responded with a 5-4 victory. Paul served out the match confidently, marking his third win over Zverev in their last four encounters. He expressed hope to continue building on this success and peak at the US Open. Paul faced Roland Garros runner-up Flavio Cobolli in the next round, who overcame Rafael Jodar in three hours and three sets.

Cobolli's win was his second Masters-level quarter-final of the season, following Madrid. Defending champion Iga Swiatek advanced to her fourth consecutive quarter-final in Cincinnati, claiming her fourth win over France's Diane Parry 6-3, 6-3. Swiatek will face Elena Rybakina in a rematch of last week's Toronto final. Other notable results include Marta Kostyuk's comeback win against French Open winner Mirra Andreeva, and Linda Noskova's loss to Amanda Anisimova.