Carlos Alcaraz was the reigning men’s singles champion who missed the 2026 Cincinnati Open because of a wrist injury.
Alcaraz had won the previous edition of the Cincinnati tournament, so he entered 2026 as the defending champion in name even though he did not compete. His absence meant that the men’s singles title would change hands before the first ball of the final was struck.
Arthur Fils eventually won the championship, defeating Frances Tiafoe 6–3, 1–6, 6–0. Fils’s victory also became his first ATP Masters 1000 title. The Cincinnati event is part of the North American hard-court swing that precedes the US Open, making player fitness and injury news particularly significant.
The withdrawal is sometimes confused with other absences from the tournament. Jannik Sinner was also not part of the field, but Alcaraz was the specific defending champion whose wrist injury was cited in the tournament account.