The Western and Southern Open is one of the most significant non-Grand Slam events on the professional tennis tour.
The city of Cincinnati, in the Midwest of the United States, hosts one of the few events on the circuit that organizes men's and women's draws simultaneously, and the occasion takes on an additional meaning as the final set-up before the US Open.
This year the event is not without its storylines, and with big names highlighting an unusually stacked main draw, the stakes are much higher.
The narrative in Cincinnati is likely to suit the top two seeds: the winners of two of the last three US Opens and the reigning hard-court Majors champions: Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev.
World No. 1 Medvedev, the best-vaccinated hard-court player on tour, has plenty of points to defend through the end of the year, including his US Open title. The Russian has had a quiet season since he lost his two-set lead in the Australian Open final. The Russian won in Los Cabos earlier this month, but his early loss in Montreal to Nick Kyrgios, who is an excellent choice to go deeper in Cincinnati and New York, puts him in desperate need of form.
Nadal, on the other hand, faces a different kind of challenge. The Spaniard has been sensational this year, he remains undefeated at Majors, and his loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Madrid is his only loss unrelated to an injury.
A rib injury wrecked him in the Indian Wells final and cut the start of his clay court season short, and an abdominal tear led to his withdrawal from Wimbledon.
Cincinnati, where he is playing for the first time since 2017, is likely to be a test of his physicality rather than a title push.
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