Carlos Alcaraz certainly struggled more than his top rival Jannik Sinner to reach the final at the 'Cincinnati Open', having lost two sets during his run in Ohio and having been the protagonist of a very tough battle against the Russian ace Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.
The world number 2 defeated Alexander Zverev in two sets in the semifinals, also benefiting from the malaise that hit the German champion in the hours before the start of the match. However, the 22-year-old from Murcia did not play his best tennis against Sascha either and needs to improve in all respects if he wants to beat the current world No.1 on his favorite surface.
The star from Sesto Pusteria has won the last 26 matches played on hard courts and will start as the favorite even according to the bookmakers, but everyone knows that Carlitos is the only player able to come close to his level right now.
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This two championswill also be the top favorites at the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the season in New York, which is probably also destined to direct the fight for the first position in the ATP rankings.
Alcaraz must raise his level
The five-time Grand Slam champion was not fully satisfied with his performance against Zverev in the semifinals and it is for this reason that shortly after the end of the match he went to a practice court to work on his serve.
This shot will be crucial in today's final, as conditions are particularly fast and Jannik is undoubtedly the best in the world with his return. Carlitos made 11 aces against Sascha, but he also committed four double faults and his percentages were below expectations. The best version of Alcaraz will be needed to win his seventh career Masters 1000.
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"Sinner brings out the best in me, which is why our rivalry is really electrifying. I am looking forward to facing him again and I will try to learn from the Wimbledon final," said the Spaniard during his latest press conference.
