Novak Djokovic was eliminated in his opening match at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 on Friday, falling to world No. 50 Thiago Tirante 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Djokovic, who had not competed since losing in the Wimbledon semi-finals, took the first set comfortably but could not sustain his level as Tirante fought back to claim the victory in three sets. The Serbian had opted to play Cincinnati to secure at least one tournament ahead of the US Open, saying his body had responded well after Wimbledon.
Tirante advances to face Spain's Martin Landaluce in the round of 32 on Sunday. The tournament is already missing top-ranked Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, both sidelined by injury.