Defending champion Alcaraz withdraws from Cincinnati Open

Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Cincinnati Open due to an ongoing wrist injury, organisers said on Tuesday, casting fresh doubts over the Spaniard's fitness ahead of his US Open title defence this month.

The seven-times Grand Slam champion has been sidelined since withdrawing from the Barcelona Open second round in April but had been set to return at the August 13-23 ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, which he won last year.

Alcaraz was unable to defend his French Open title and missed Wimbledon as he continued his recovery, though the 23-year-old signalled he was close to a return after posting videos of training sessions in the last few weeks.

"We know Carlos is doing everything he can to get back to playing tournaments as soon as possible," Cincinnati tournament director Bob Moran said in a statement.

The Winston-Salem Open, which begins on August 23, would be the last chance for Alcaraz to get some matches under his belt before the US Open, though the world number two has yet to signal whether he intends to participate in the ATP 250 event.

Alcaraz won last year's Cincinnati title after world number one Jannik Sinner retired from the final, and carried the momentum to Flushing Meadows where he won his second US Open crown after his triumph in 2022.

Alcaraz began the season by claiming the Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam. In his absence, Sinner successfully defended his Wimbledon title and took his major tally to five.

The US Open gets underway on August 30.