Top Seeds Win in Cincinnati Open Qualifying

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Open kicked off with top seeds Nuno Borges and Magdalena Frech securing their spots in the main draw after successful qualifying matches on Monday. Borges, the top men's seed from Portugal, triumphed over Australia's Aleksandar Vukic with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-1. Meanwhile, Frech, the leading women's seed from Poland, defeated 14th-seeded Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain, winning 6-1, 6-4. In addition to the top seeds, six American players—three men and three women—also advanced in the main draws. Notable victories included No. 5 seed Alex Michelsen, who bested Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-2, and Brandon Holt, who overcame Zachary Svajda with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. Aleksandar Kovacevic from New York also progressed, defeating Rinky Hijikata of Australia 6-1, 7-6 (5). On the women's side, 12th-seeded Taylor Townsend achieved a convincing win against No. 4 Katie Volynets, finishing 6-0, 6-3. Other American players, including Robin Montgomery and Ashlyn Krueger, also secured their places by defeating their respective opponents, with Krueger edging past Japan’s Naomi Osaka in a closely contested match. International players also made their mark, with Italy’s Flavio Cobolli defeating 10th-seeded Tommy Paul, and several other seeds, including Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka and Great Britain’s Harriet Dart, advancing in the tournament.