Andy Murray could meet Roger Federer in an early showdown at the Cincinnati Masters

By Raz Mirza

Image: Roger Federer (left) could face a blockbuster third-round date with Andy Murray in Cincinnati

Andy Murray could meet Roger Federer for the 26th time in the third round of the Cincinnati Masters next week - live on Sky Sports Arena.

Former world No 1 Murray begins his campaign with an opening-round clash against 16th seed Lucas Pouille before a potential meeting with Leonardo Mayer or a qualifier.

Federer opens up against Peter Gojowczyk or Joao Sousa and victory could mean a blockbuster meeting with Murray.

The pair have combined to win nine of the past 13 Western & Southern Opens and it would also be their first meeting in three years, which was also in Cincinnati.

Andy Murray's projected route to Cincy glory

First Round Lucas Pouille
Second Round Leonardo Mayer
Third Round Roger Federer
Quarter-Finals Dominic Thiem/Kei Nishikori/Diego Schwartzman
Semi-Finals Kevin Anderson/Stefanos Tsitsipas/Juan Martin del Potro
Final Rafael Nadal/Novak Djokovic/Alexander Zverev

Murray pulled out of his Citi Open quarter-final in Washington last Friday after citing fatigue having finished his third-round win against Marius Copil at 3.01am.

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The Scot then pulled out of this week's Rogers Cup in Toronto in order to concentrate on the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati. It will be just his fourth tournament in nearly 14 months as he continues his comeback from hip surgery.

The Swiss great leads their rivalry 14-11 and has triumphed in three of their four matches in Cincinnati.

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Fourth seed Juan Martin del Potro, Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman, former world No 3 Stan Wawrinka and Japanese star Kei Nishikori are all in the bottom half of the draw alongside Murray and Federer.

The top half is stacked with top seed Rafael Nadal in line for a potential meeting with Canadian Milos Raonic in his second-round opener.

Image: Rafael Nadal was victorious in Cincinnati back in 2013

Nadal, who triumphed in Cincinnati five years ago, could then face defending champion Grigor Dimitrov or Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

British No 1 Kyle Edmund opens up against American wild card Mackenzie McDonald with a possible second-round date against Denis Shapovalov or Frances Tiafoe.

Three-time Masters 1000 champion Alexander Zverev is projected to meet 2016 champion Marin Cilic in the last eight.

Image: Johanna Konta reached the third round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal last week

In the women's tournament, British No 1 Johanna Konta faces rising Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka with the winner to face either Karolina Pliskova or Agnieszka Radwanska.

Serena Williams opens up against Australia's Daria Gavrilova, but Maria Sharapova has been forced to withdraw on the eve the tournament.

We have the US hardcourts covered from all angles via our website skysports.com/tennis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.

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We will have news, previews, live blogs, reports and expert analysis from the US hardcourt season. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.

Watch the ATP Masters 1000 in Toronto on Sky Sports Arena with the final on Sunday, August 12 from 6.30pm. We then head to Cincinnati from Monday at 4pm and the return of Andy Murray.

Never miss the big kick-off or have to deal with interrupted games or low-quality streams with a NOW TV Sky Sports Pass this summer. You'll get exclusive coverage of The Ryder Cup, ATP Tour and loads more starting from just £7.99. No contract.

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