Ricky’s pick for the Cincinnati semifinals: Sinner vs. Zverev

A blockbuster matchup in the Western & Southern Open semifinals pits Jannik Sinner against Alexander Zverev on Sunday afternoon. They have a chance to be the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, at the upcoming U.S. Open.

(1) Jannik Sinner vs. (3) Alexander Zverev

Sinner and Zverev will be facing each other for the sixth time in their careers when they collide in the last four of the Cincinnati Masters. Zverev leads the head-to-head series 4-1 and has won four straight against Sinner since coming up short in their first meeting at the 2020 French Open. They most recently squared off at the U.S. Open in 2023, when Zverev prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in a memorable marathon to reach the quarterfinals.

Although he is the underdog in this one, the German has a real opportunity to improve to 3-0 lifetime on outdoor hard courts at Sinner’s expense. Zverev has been in fine form all year long and will move up to a career-high ranking of No. 2 in the world if he takes the Cincinnati title.

Zverev is coming off a difficult three-set tussle with Ben Shelton in the quarters, but Sinner also had to battle on Saturday–overcoming Andrey Rublev 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. The top-ranked Italian has not looked 100 percent since the start of the summer due to a hip issue. That is just another reason why Zverev has a great chance to win; the third seed should have the edge physically if it turns into a long match.

Pick: Zverev in 3

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.