​Ten former tournament champions headline the initial player entries for the 2026 Cincinnati Open, which brings the top players from the WTA and ATP Tours to the city Aug. 8-23.Former Cincinnati Open winners Iga Swiatek (2025), Aryna Sabalenka (2024), Coco Gauff (2023), Madison Keys (2019), Karolina Pliskova (2016), Carlos Alcaraz (2025), Jannik Sinner (2024), Novak Djokovic (2023, 2020, 2018), Alexander Zverev (2021) and Daniil Medvedev (2019) will return in an effort to once again hoist the trophy.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAlcaraz, the world No. 3 and seven-time major champion, will be playing for the first time since he had to shut it down in April due to a right wrist injury.“We are excited to welcome the world’s best players back to the Cincinnati Open next month,” said Tournament Director Bob Moran. “To have the available top 75 men and women sign up to compete for this highly coveted title speaks volumes about the importance of this event on the respective calendars. We set an incredibly high bar in 2025 with the extensive and expansive changes made to the player facilities, so it’s extremely satisfying to see the amazing strength of this field come to life.”In addition to the 10 former champions, entrants for the 96-player fields include:Twenty-four Americans (12 women and 12 men) in addition to players representing 37 other countries. The US contingent includes Cincinnati natives Caty McNally and Peyton Stearns.Forty-three players (19 women and 24 men) who have won a title during the 2026 season. Sinner leads the ATP Tour with six titles in 2026 – including holding all five of the season’s Masters 1000s – while Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva have each won a WTA-leading three trophies.Overall, 108 of the 153 entries have won at least one Tour title in their career, and 15 have won at least one Major title.Eight players who have been ranked No. 1 in their career, including the current top-ranked players, Sabalenka and Sinner. The other entrants to hold that ranking are defending Cincinnati Open champions Swiatek and Alcaraz as well as Naomi Osaka, Pliskova, Djokovic and Medvedev.Three players who are using an injury-protected ranking: Holger Rune, Juncheng Shang and Lois Boisson.The complete list of singles entrants can be found at cincinnatiopen.com/players.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTwelve players will be added to each field through a two-round qualifying event that will take place Aug. 11-12. Additional players will be awarded wild cards.This year’s Cincinnati Open will begin with Community Weekend, Aug. 8-9, with family-friendly activities planned alongside player practice sessions. The tournament will culminate with Finals Weekend Aug. 22-23, featuring the singles semifinals on Saturday and the championship matches on Sunday with special events to mark the tournament’s conclusion.The Cincinnati Open, which drew 285,000 fans last year, annually hosts the world’s best men’s and women’s profe