World no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will play in the last 16 in Cincinnati. The finalist from two years ago faced another young gun, Hamad Medjedovic, in the third round and provided a 6-4, 6-4 win in an hour and 35 minutes.
The conditions were very challenging due to warm weather, and Carlos handled them more efficiently. He lost serve once and secured three breaks to emerge at the top and remain on the title course.
The Spaniard liked how he served and hit the ball. He kept his composure and managed to move his struggling opponent over the baseline. The Serb required a medical timeout, as many players in Cincinnati.
Alcaraz used that as his chance and capitalized on Medjedovic's mistakes. The young Serb played aggressive tennis and kept the points on his racquet. However, he sprayed too many errors and ended his campaign in the third round despite a valiant effort.
The first set was decided in an extended seventh game when Carlos secured a break. We sawthree breaks in the middle of the second set, and the favorite grabbed two before moving over the top in style.
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Hamad landed 28 service winners and hit 25 direct points and 38 unforced mistakes. Carlos reduced the number of errors and outplayed his rival in the quickest exchanges up to four strokes.
The 22-year-old Serb fought well in the opening set. He squandered seven game points at 3-3 and hit a double fault on the fourth break point to suffer a break and fall behind.
Alcaraz needed no second invitation to clinch the win from there. He landed a service winner at 5-4 to bring the first part of the duel home in 46 minutes and gain confidence.
Medjedovic experienced a break at 2-2 in the second set before pulling it straight back to remain on the positive side. However, the Spaniard made another push on the return and clinch his second straight break after the rival's loose drop shot.
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Alcaraz cemented the lead with a hold at 4-3 and served for the win at 5-4. He created a match point and seized it with an unreturned serve, moving over the top in style and remaining on the title course.
"I served better than in the first match. I feel the ball much better every day. Today I was playing against a powerful opponent. I was very focused throughout and was able to move Hamad well from side to side.
I noticed he was having some problems due to the conditions. He called a doctor, and it was obvious that he did not feel well. I tried to capitalize on his mistakes and push him even further to the limit.
I also had some luck, but I was good almost throughout the encounter. I hope to continue improving during the rest of the week," Carlos Alcaraz said.
