Second-round action at the Cincinnati Masters gets underway on Saturday, when Tommy Paul and Alexander Zverev take the court. Paul faces familiar foe Hubert Hurkacz, while Zverev begins his title bid against Cameron Norrie.
(18) Tommy Paul vs. Hubert Hurkacz

Paul and Hurkacz will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers when they collide in round two of the Cincinnati Open on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at 3-2 in favor of Paul, who won their only previous outdoor hard-court contest 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 at the 2023 Indian Wells Masters. Hurkacz prevailed for the first time since 2021 when he defeated the American 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-2 earlier this summer at Wimbledon.

Both players could use a deep run in Cincinnati. Paul is just 1-2 on the hard-court swing so far, with a first-round loss to Kamil Majchrzak in Washington, D.C. and second-round exit from Montreal at the hands of Learner Tien. Hurkacz is finally healthy and playing relatively well, but he is still toiling away at 69th in the rankings — nowhere close to being seeded at Grand Slams and Masters 1000s. The 6’5” Pole opened with a 6-2, 6-4 rout of lucky loser Sho Shimabukuro on Friday. This should be one of the best matches of the day, with a slight edge going to Paul in front of the home crowd.

Pick: Paul in 3

(1) Alexander Zverev vs. Cameron Norrie
With the top two players in the world — Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz — out of the tournament, Zverev is the No. 1 seed in Cincinnati. The third-ranked German lost right away in Montreal to Tallon Griekspoor in his first appearance since finishing runner-up to Sinner at Wimbledon, but at least that means he is well rested for this tournament. Zverev has reached the semifinals or better in four consecutive trips to Cincinnati, including a title in 2021.

Up first for the 29-year-old on Saturday is a 10th meeting with Norrie. Zverev is dominating the head-to-head series 7-2, including 7-0 on the main tour. He is 17-3 in total sets against Norrie since the Brit last came out on top at a 2014 Challenger tournament. Norrie gets yet another shot against his nemesis after beating Dino Prizmic 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday, improving to 7-2 on the North American hard-court swing. The left-hander never goes down without a fight, but his history of futility against Zverev is too much to overlook.

Pick: Zverev in 2