12 August 2026
Grigor Dimitrov will begin his campaign at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez. The Bulgarian received a wild card into the main draw of the event, one of the biggest tournaments in the build-up to the US Open.
The draw has placed Dimitrov in the bottom half of the bracket. His first challenge will be Baez, and a victory would set up a second-round meeting with 16th seed Learner Tien. The American has received a first-round bye and will begin his tournament against the winner of the Dimitrov-Baez match.
Another victory would make Dimitrov’s potential path considerably more difficult. No. 10 seed Lorenzo Musetti is also in this section of the draw. The Italian has a first-round bye, making him one of Dimitrov’s possible opponents in the following stages of the tournament.
Further ahead in the same section is second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian is the highest-ranked player in this quarter of the draw and could stand in Dimitrov’s way should the Bulgarian put together a deep run in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati holds a special place in Dimitrov’s career. It was here in 2017 that he captured his first ATP Masters 1000 title, defeating Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5 in the final. The triumph was one of the biggest achievements of Dimitrov’s career and came during his outstanding 2017 season, which he later completed by winning the ATP Finals in London.
This year, Dimitrov is unseeded and enters the tournament with a wild card, meaning he does not have the benefit of a first-round bye. However, the opening match against Baez gives the Bulgarian an opportunity to build match rhythm before potentially facing some of the seeded players in his section.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are absent from the main draw, while Alexander Zverev is the No. 1 seed. Novak Djokovic is seeded third and Daniil Medvedev fourth, with Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Flavio Cobolli and Ben Shelton also among the leading names in the tournament.
For Dimitrov, Cincinnati is also an important part of his preparations for the US Open. The immediate task, however, is clear: overcome Sebastian Baez and secure a place in the second round, where Learner Tien awaits.
The draw has placed Dimitrov in the bottom half of the bracket. His first challenge will be Baez, and a victory would set up a second-round meeting with 16th seed Learner Tien. The American has received a first-round bye and will begin his tournament against the winner of the Dimitrov-Baez match.
Another victory would make Dimitrov’s potential path considerably more difficult. No. 10 seed Lorenzo Musetti is also in this section of the draw. The Italian has a first-round bye, making him one of Dimitrov’s possible opponents in the following stages of the tournament.
Further ahead in the same section is second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian is the highest-ranked player in this quarter of the draw and could stand in Dimitrov’s way should the Bulgarian put together a deep run in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati holds a special place in Dimitrov’s career. It was here in 2017 that he captured his first ATP Masters 1000 title, defeating Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5 in the final. The triumph was one of the biggest achievements of Dimitrov’s career and came during his outstanding 2017 season, which he later completed by winning the ATP Finals in London.
This year, Dimitrov is unseeded and enters the tournament with a wild card, meaning he does not have the benefit of a first-round bye. However, the opening match against Baez gives the Bulgarian an opportunity to build match rhythm before potentially facing some of the seeded players in his section.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are absent from the main draw, while Alexander Zverev is the No. 1 seed. Novak Djokovic is seeded third and Daniil Medvedev fourth, with Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Flavio Cobolli and Ben Shelton also among the leading names in the tournament.
For Dimitrov, Cincinnati is also an important part of his preparations for the US Open. The immediate task, however, is clear: overcome Sebastian Baez and secure a place in the second round, where Learner Tien awaits.
