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It was the biggest win of the Argentinean's career as he took advantage of a physically struggling Djokovic to win in two hours and 44 minutes.

It was Djokovic's first match since his Wimbledon semi-final against Jannik Sinner, and while he claimed the first set with relative ease, he appeared to hit the wall as the match grew longer.

The Serbian great saved 13 of 15 break points he faced, but it was not enough to hold of Tirante's charge as the 25-year-old held his nerve to claim the second set and then broke in the ninth game of the decider to give himself the chance to serve out a famous victory, which he did so to love.

"I think this is the best win of my career," Tirante said.

"I think I really did a good job inside the court. I managed very well the nerves of playing against a legend like Novak. Now I feel relieved, because it is all so much pressure when you cannot break [serve]. I had so many points to break and I couldn’t, so that was the key, to keep believing in myself with my team and think about it after the match.

"Thinking about my family and my friends that are in Argentina watching me, they are really happy to watch me on TV.

"They are in Argentina, but they are in my head as well."

Tirante hadn't won more than six matches on the ATP Tour prior to 2026, but this win improved his record against top 10 opponents to 4-1 and took him to 23 wins for 2026, including matches against the likes of world No.9 Ben Shelton in Munich in April and world No.8 Taylor Fritz in Montreal earlier in August.

Tirante's next test in Cincinnati will be a third-round encounter with Martin Landaluce, who earlier defeated No.31 seed Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 4-6 6-4.

For Djokovic, it's another early exit and he admitted it was not a good day for him against the world No.50.

"It was not an enjoyable match for me, for sure. The way I felt. Not the first and I guess not the last time, but it is what it is," the 39-year-old said, admitting the physical issues that appeared to hamper him have been something he's been dealing with for some time.

"It's just a condition that I have, health wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years. [It causes] a lot of issues, especially when it is humid and it is hot," he revealed.

"I did anticipate it [would be humid], but there are all these things, like nerves and everything involved that make it worse, and that’s what happened."

Djokovic, who has won at Lindner Family Tennis Center three times over the course of his career, also admitted he wasn't sure if he'd be back next year for another tilt as his career moves still further into its twilight.

“I certainly hope so, but it looks more likely not, unfortunately,” the Serbian said. “But let’s see what the future brings.”