Tirante stuns Djokovic in heat-hit Cincinnati second round

Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat by Argentina's Thiago Tirante in the second round of the Cincinnati Open on 15 August 2026, losing 2-6 6-4 6-4 as he battled heat and humidity. Tirante, ranked 50th in the world, produced the upset.

Novak Djokovic has won the Cincinnati Open three times. The 24-time Grand Slam champion, aged 39 and seeded world number five, was making his first appearance since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals in July, returning to competition in Ohio for the tournament.

Djokovic began to falter in the second set following an 18-minute third game; he dropped onto his hands and knees and took a medical timeout during that set and appeared to vomit twice. A physio and a doctor both provided on-court assistance, and both players went back to the dressing rooms after the second set.

Play resumed for the deciding set, where Djokovic surrendered serve in the ninth game and Tirante was able to see out the match. The Argentine completed the victory to claim the second-round win over the former champion.

Tirante said after the match: "This is the best win of my career," said the Argentine. "I managed the nerves of playing a legend like Novak. It was all so much pressure." The defeat ended Djokovic's run at Cincinnati in the second round and broke his record of reaching at least the last 32 of the tournament since his 2005 debut.