Spanish Carlos Alcarazrevenged on Tommy Paul, and Serbian Novak Djokovicwho extended their record to 19-0 against France’s Gael Monfils advanced to the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati tournament on Thursday.
The day was marked by the elimination of Russian Daniil Medvedev, who lost to German Alexander Zverev 6-4, 5-7 and 6-4, and Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, last year’s finalist, who barely lasted one hour and four minutes. against Pole Hubert Gurkacz (6-3 and 6-4).
Alcaraz takes revenge
After winning his debut fight against Aussie Jordan Thompson, Alcaraz needed another huge effort to knock down Paul, an opponent who had beaten him in two of his previous three matches and had just eliminated him at the Canadian Masters.
The Murcian won 7-6(5), 6-7(0) and 6-4 in three hours and nine minutes, but the bout lasted almost six hours with three rain breaks.
Of course, Alcaraz knows how to motivate himself in such moments of waiting.
“I turned on the video of Rocky, I always wear the workout from the movie Rocky 4, the workout between Ivan Drago and Rocky, this video is key for me,” Alcaraz replied at the Spanish EFE in a press conference after his 7-6(5), 6 -7(0) and 6-4 victory over Paul at the Cincinnati Masters 1000.
The match we liked all the time 😲😲😲.
Carlos vs. Tommy was @CreditOneBankOne match worth watching today! pic.twitter.com/f0wxKboXMt— Western and Southern Open (@CincyTennis) August 18, 2023
Now, in the quarter-finals, a priori more accessible opponent awaits him. It will be Australian Max Purcell, world number 70, an opponent he has never played against in his career.
Djokovic, record streak
Djokovic extended his record against Monfils to 19-0, signing the longest unbeaten streak against a single opponent in the Open Era.
The Serb, world number two, didn’t give a chance to Monfils, number 211, who played in the Cincinnati tournament with a protected rating.
His 19-0 record against Monfils leaves behind Spaniard Rafa Nadal’s trail against Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who is currently 18-0.
Perfectly played 👌 #CincyTennis | @JokerNole pic.twitter.com/Z5hccsuwsp
— Western and Southern Open (@CincyTennis) August 18, 2023
Medvedev and Tsitsipas say goodbye
There was no shortage of surprising results: Zverev eliminated Medvedev, last year’s semi-finalist, by winning 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, while Pole Hubert Gurkacz knocked out Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, last year’s finalist, by winning for resounding 6-3 and 6 -4.
Zverev, world No. 16, admitted at the end of the game that he had turned to Alcaraz last week in Toronto for advice on how to approach Medvedev. The Murtian has beaten the Russian twice this season without losing a set.
Hold tight…#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/zGDvjrxZaY
— Western and Southern Open (@CincyTennis) August 17, 2023
Frenchman Adrian Mannarino is waiting for Zverev, and Gurkach will play Australian Alexei Popyrin. The winner of this last showdown will meet in the semi-final against Alcaraz and Purcell.
Svyatek goes forward, Rybakina, Pegula and Sakkari say goodbye
World No. 1 Swiatek is back to beat China’s Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals against Czech Marketa Vondrousova.
Iga Swiatek turns to hate after the match:
“The amount of hate and criticism that my team and I get even after losing a set is just ridiculous. I want to encourage people to be more thoughtful when they comment…”
A powerful statement from a great leader.
— Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 17, 2023
The tournament was lost to Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina, who withdrew due to injury, Italian Jasmine Paolini and Jessica Pegula, the recent champion of Montreal.
Pegula lost 6-4, 6-0 against Czech Marie Bouzková, world number 35.
The Greek Maria Sakkari, ranked eighth in the ranking, also dropped out, losing 6-3, 2-6 and 6-3 to Czech Karolina Muchova, the 17th racket of the world.
(According to information from EFE)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
