ATP Tour

Tiafoe retires injured in Cincinnati, Rune advances to QFs

Frances Tiafoe suffered a setback to his U.S. hard-court summer on Wednesday at the Cincinnati Open. The home favourite was forced to retire from his fourth-round match at the ATP Masters 1000 event against Holger Rune due to a lower back injury.

The 10th-seeded Tiafoe at one point led 3-0 in his third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Rune, but after relinquishing that lead he received treatment on his lower back at 4-5. With Tiafoe unable to serve at full pace, Rune had moved into a 6-4, 3-1 lead when the American retired.

Get well soon Frances 🙏@holgerrune2003 is through to the quarter-finals as Tiafoe retires due to injury.

Final score: 6-4 3-1 RET.@CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/cKVtZEXBSa

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 13, 2025

Tiafoe, who reached his maiden Masters 1000 championship match in Cincinnati a year ago, will hope to recover quickly before heading to New York for his home Grand Slam at the US Open. The 27-year-old is a two-time semi-finalist at Flushing Meadows, including last year when he fell to his countryman Taylor Fritz.

The No. 9 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Rune stepped on court Wednesday hoping to avenge his 2024 semi-final defeat to Tiafoe. The Dane will take on French qualifier Terence Atmane in the quarter-finals this year.

“From 4-4, when I got the break and at 5-4 when he had the medical timeout, that’s when I felt something was not right with him and after obviously, I could see he was struggling a little bit,” said Rune. “As the game is, I tried to move him as much as possible. It’s never nice to finish a match like this and I wish him the best recovery.”

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The 23-year-old left-hander Atmane served 13 aces and won 82 per cent of first-serve points as he stunned fourth seed and 2024 US Open finalist Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Atmane, who took out Joao Fonseca in the third round, converted three of six break points against Fritz, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

World No. 136 Atmane is the first qualifier to advance to an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final since Max Purcell at 2023 Cincinnati (also Mannarino) and lowest-ranked Cincinnati quarter-finalist since No. 152 Coric won the 2022 title. Up to No. 93 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Atmane will make his debut in the Top 100 at the end of the tournament.