Is Arthur Fils the Third Best Player After Jannik Sinner & Carlos Alcaraz? | 2026 Cincinnati Open Recap

Alcaraz is BACK. Sinner is OUT of the US Open. Arthur Fils just had the biggest week of his career, and suddenly the entire US Open picture looks completely different.   SUBSCRIBE for the BEST tennis debates, reactions, and weekly breakdowns: youtube.com/@tshtennis?sub_confirmation=1   Welcome to We’re Going Five Podcast Season 3 Episode 29, our full Cincinnati Recap and first major look ahead to the US Open.   Carlos Alcaraz announces his return after nearly five months away. Jannik Sinner’s knee injury forces him out of the US Open. Arthur Fils makes history in Cincinnati. Frances Tiafoe reminds everyone how dangerous Big Foe can be on American hard courts. Coco Gauff wins Cincinnati again. And somehow that is only the beginning.   Timestamps:   00:00:00 Intro 00:00:53 King Carlitos is Back Baby! 00:06:35 Thoughts on Sinner missing the US Open? 00:11:43 Arthur Fils Makes History in Cincy! 00:21:20 How high are you on Big Foe after Cincy? 00:26:00 Coco Gauff Crowned Cincy Queen! 00:30:21 Biggest Winners Of The Week? 00:35:13 Quick thoughts on Djokovic's Documentary? 00:44:19 Takeaways from the Kygrios Suspension 00:52:08 Overreaction or Not? 00:58:39 Who Ya Got? Mixed Doubles US Open 01:00:52 Wrap Up   👑 KING CARLITOS IS BACK Carlos Alcaraz announces that he will return to the tour and play the US Open after almost five months out with the wrist injury that forced him to miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon. How much should we actually expect from him immediately? Can Alcaraz go from five months without competitive tennis straight into a Grand Slam and realistically win it? And with Sinner now out, has the entire tournament suddenly opened up for Carlos?   🚨 SINNER OUT OF THE US OPEN Jannik Sinner’s lingering knee injury continues, and he is forced to withdraw from the US Open. It completely changes the men’s draw. Does Alcaraz immediately become the favorite despite the layoff? Does this create Novak Djokovic’s clearest opportunity for Slam No. 25? And how worried should we be about Sinner beyond just New York?   🔥 ARTHUR FILS MAKES HISTORY IN CINCINNATI Arthur Fils puts together one of the biggest runs of his career. He leaves Cincinnati with a first Masters 1000 breakthrough, a career high around World No. 11, sixth place in the ATP Race, and some serious momentum heading toward New York. So how far are we willing to go? Is Arthur Fils entering the conversation with the very best players on tour?   🇺🇸 HOW HIGH ARE WE ON BIG FOE? Frances Tiafoe reaches another Cincinnati final and another Masters 1000 final. And his run was anything but easy. Against Brandon Nakashima, Tiafoe faced three set points serving at 4–5, saved all three, held serve and immediately broke. That is exactly the type of tennis Big Foe has not always produced consistently. So heading into the US Open: is Frances Tiafoe actually America’s best chance of ending the men’s Grand Slam drought?   🏆 COCO GAUFF CROWNED CINCINNATI QUEEN Coco Gauff wins Cincinnati again and picks up her first title of 2026. After dropping the first set she played all tournament, Coco kept getting better. She becomes only the third woman after Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka to win multiple Cincinnati titles. And after the final, Coco gave her racket to an 80-year-old fan as a birthday gift. But the bigger tennis question: Is Coco now the clear US Open favorite?   📈 BIGGEST WINNERS OF CINCINNATI Beyond the champions, who actually improved their stock the most? Brandon Nakashima continues an incredible stretch after reaching the Montreal final and Cincinnati semifinal, including wins over Medvedev and Taylor Fritz. And Rafael Jodar continues forcing his way into the Next Gen conversation.   🎥 DJOKOVIC: THE WOLF IN WINTER Novak Djokovic’s new documentary The Wolf in Winter gives us plenty to debate. Does Djokovic actually need people to hate him? Did being tennis’ villain actually make Djokovic better? Djokovic’s motivation may never disappear. His body might eventuall