2023 Western & Southern Open, men's preview: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz Wimbledon rematch looms in Cincinnati

WATCH: Alcaraz is coming off a surprising quarterfinal defeat to Tommy Paul at the National Bank Open in Toronto.

As the Canadian Masters events wind down, the Western & Southern Open is already winding up. The finals take place in Montréal and Toronto on Sunday at the same time that first-round matches go on in Mason, Ohio.

The tournaments are essentially an extension of each other, into one big two-week hard-court event spread over three cities. There’s one important difference on the men’s side in Mason, though: Novak Djokovic, free of vaccine restrictions, will play his first tournament in the U.S. since 2021. Could we see a rematch of his Wimbledon final with top seed Carlos Alcaraz? Here’s a look at the men’s draw.

First Quarter

For the second straight year, Alcaraz didn’t exactly roar out of the summer hard-court gate in Toronto. He was erratic against Ben Shelton, he almost lost to Hubert Hurkacz, and he did lose to Tommy Paul. Last year, he wasn’t much better in Cincy, going out to Cameron Norrie in the quarterfinals. Not that it really mattered, because he went on to win the US Open.

Can Alcaraz turn it on a little faster this time around? His path to the semifinals might look like this: John Isner in the second round; another shot at Tommy Paul in the round of 16; and a rematch of last year’s US Open final with Casper Ruud in the quarters.

Also here: Frances Tiafoe, who plays Sunday against Tallon Griekspoor.

Semifinalist: Alcaraz

Second Quarter

Like Alcaraz, but even more so, the top two seeds in this section, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev, also stumbled in Toronto; each lost in the first round. But each of them also has a history of success in Cincinnati. Rublev made the final in 2021, and Tsitsipas did the same in 2022.

Tsitsipas, who will be continuing a new coaching arrangement with Mark Philippoussis, will start against either Chris Eubanks (the man who beat him at Wimbledon) or Ben Shelton. Rublev could meet sometime doubles partner Karen Khachanov in the round of 16.

First-round matches to watch: Eubanks vs. Shelton, Sebastian Korda vs. defending champion Borna Coric , Khachanov vs. Andy Murray

Semifinalist: Rublev

Third Quarter

To continue a theme, the headliners of this quarter, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune, also had disappointing results up north: Rune lost his opener to Marcos Giron, and Medvedev blew a 5-1 tiebreaker lead while going out to Alex De Minaur.

Medvedev in particular will want to turn things around quickly. This is a prime time of the season for the self-proclaimed hard-court specialist, who won the title in Cincy in 2019. He’ll start against either Lorenzo Musetti or D.C. champ Dan Evans.

First-round matches to watch: Félix Auger-Aliassime vs. Matteo Berrettini, Alexander Zverev vs. Grigor Dimitrov

Semifinalist: Medvedev

Fourth Quarter

Djokovic was persona non grata around much of the world early in 2022, but I’m guessing he’ll get a warm welcome when he returns to the States in Cincy. The No. 2 seed has been to the final here seven times, and won it twice—the last time when it was moved to Flushing Meadows in 2020, at the peak of the pandemic.

For the first time 2017, Djokovic will come to the U.S. having not won Wimbledon. Will that make him a little more motivated to capture the year’s last Slam? This week his path could run through Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round; Norrie, Gaël Monfils, or Alex De Minaur in the round of 16; and Jannik Sinner or Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals.

First-round matches to watch:  Norrie vs. Monfils, Fritz vs. Jiri Lehecka, De Minaur vs. J.J. Wolf

Semifinalist: Djokovic

Semifinals: Rublev d. Alcaraz; Medvedev d. Djokovic

Final: Medvedev d. Rublev