It was a one-sided affair in Mason, Ohio: Sho Shimabukuro swept past Hugo Dellien in the semifinal of the Cincinnati Open, winning 6-3, 6-1. On the outdoor hard courts of the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the Japanese player put on a masterclass and left the Bolivian with no answers for long stretches of the match.
Shimabukuro takes control from the outset
The first set belonged to Shimabukuro from the very start. He held serve on 88 percent of his service games and kept Dellien's return pressure firmly at bay. Particularly impressive was his dominance on second serve: the Japanese player won 75 percent of those points — a figure that effectively neutralised Dellien's attempts to create pressure from the return. With 15 winners against just 19 unforced errors, Shimabukuro was precise and efficient throughout, while his opponent racked up 32 unforced errors and was, in no small part, the architect of his own defeat.
Dellien, Bolivia's No. 1 in the ATP rankings and most recently in the spotlight after claiming the Challenger title in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in April 2026, never found his rhythm on the fast hard court. His second serve proved a particular liability, with just 23 percent of points won on it.
Second set: Dellien without an answer
In the second set, Shimabukuro turned the screw even further. The Japanese player — who reached his career-high ranking of world No. 103 in May 2026 and has been pushing steadily towards the upper echelons of the tour ever since — dropped Dellien to a 6-1 scoreline. The Bolivian, who alongside compatriot Juan Carlos Prado Ángelo had made history at the 2026 French Open as the first Bolivian duo ever to feature in a Grand Slam main draw, was powerless. His break point conversion rate of 50 percent looked respectable in isolation, but he created far too few genuine opportunities to turn the match around. With just 39 percent of total points won, Dellien's statistics told the story of Shimabukuro's superiority in no uncertain terms.
Assessment and outlook
Above all, Shimabukuro demonstrated mental strength and consistency throughout. He absorbed pressure with composure, converted his break points at a rate of 50 percent and held serve on 75 percent of his service games — a record that fully measures up to the demands of an ATP Masters 1000 final. For Dellien, whose career-high ranking stands at world No. 64, the last major warm-up event before the US Open ended at the semifinal stage. Shimabukuro, meanwhile, has a final at the Cincinnati Open to look forward to, and will be eager to show that his outstanding form is here to stay.
