Cincinnati Masters: Rinderknech forced to retire in sweltering heat

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No 23 seed, reached the last 16 of the Cincinnati Masters when Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech retired on Monday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

Auger-Aliassime, ranked No 28, led 7-6 (4), 4-2 when Rinderknech, ranked No 70, pulled out because of the heat conditions.

Rinderknech was trailing 7-6, 2-2 when he collapsed on court as Auger-Aliassime was preparing to serve. After receiving a medical timeout, he attempted to continue but had to retire two games later, with the score at 7-6, 4-2.

The weather is a critical factor in Cincinnati, as you can see with players using iced towels between at the changerover. Temperatures reached around 33°C with a high heat index, challenging players’ physical resilience. Just days earlier, Rinderknech had commented on the harsh playing conditions, describing it as “survival” and stating that playing in such scorching heat “isn’t very good for the body or the mind” Earlier in the tournament, the Frenchman won against Norwegian Casper Ruud, the No 11 seed (6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2) and Portuguese Nuno Borges (6-3, 6-3).

Auger-Aliassime will play the winner of the match between Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, the No 25 seed, and Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi next.

Cincinnati Masters 1000, other third-round results (Lindner Family Tennis Center, hard, USD 9.193.540, most recent results first):

• Adrian Mannarino vs. Tommy Paul
• Hamad Medjedovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz
• Jakub Mensik vs. Luca Nardi

• Alexei Popyrin vs. Andrey Rublev
• Reilly Opelka vs. Francisco Comesana
• Brandon Nakashima vs. Alexander Zverev
• Karen Khachanov vs. Jenson Brooksby
• Jiri Lehecka vs. Adam Walton
• Ben Shelton vs. Roberto Bautista Agut
• Jannik Sinner vs. Gabriel Diallo
• Joao Fonseca vs. Terence Atmane
• Taylor Fritz vs. Lorenzo Sonego
• Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Benjamin Bonzi
• Frances Tiafoe vs. Ugo Humbert: monday
• Holger Rune (7) beat Alex Michelsen (28): 7-6 (4), 6-3