Carlos Alcaraz powered past Hamad Medjedovic in straight sets to book his place in the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open, overcoming sweltering conditions that disrupted several matches on Tuesday.
The world No. 2, sharpening his form ahead of the US Open starting August 24 (live on Sky Sports), found Medjedovic’s heavy hitting difficult to crack. Still, Alcaraz rose to the occasion in crucial moments to seal a 6-4, 6-4 victory. His next challenge comes on Thursday against Italy’s Luca Nardi, who advanced after Jakub Mensik retired mid-match.
Speaking after the win, Alcaraz acknowledged the tactical challenge. “He’s a compelling player. I know he doesn’t like running that much, so I tried to make him run as much as I could, which wasn’t easy,” he said. “I’m delighted to get the win and play some good tennis, even if I don’t always feel at my best.”
The opening set was finely balanced, with both players holding serve for 3-3. Alcaraz then edged ahead in a tense 13-minute seventh game, breaking Medjedovic to go 4-3 up before closing out the set with determined play.
In the second set, Alcaraz appeared to be in control after breaking in the fifth game, but Medjedovic hit back immediately to level at 3-3. From there, the Spaniard steadied himself and regained the upper hand to complete the straight-sets win.
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