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Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul added another intriguing chapter to their budding rivalry on Thursday at the Western & Southern Open, where the former prevailed 7-6(6), 6-7(0), 6-3 in a third-round thriller in Cincinnati.
Just seven days on from Paul’s victory against Alcaraz in the Toronto quarter-finals, the American once again proved a tough opponent for the World No. 1. Unlike in Canada, however, Alcaraz found a way past his foe in Ohio, holding his nerve in a rain-affected decider after letting slip three match points in the second set for a three-hour, 10 minute third-round triumph.
“It was a really tough match. We were playing a really close match before the rain came. But I think I did pretty well [dealing with] the wait in the gym, warming up,” said Spaniard, who spent over six hours on court to earn three-set wins against Jordan Thompson and Paul this week.
“I told everyone that I really wanted [to win], since I lost in Toronto. I came here in Cincinnati and I’m really happy with the level. I think I’m getting better and better. I’m really happy to be in the quarter-finals here.”
The skills of the 20-year-old Spaniard and Paul were tested by the blustery conditions on centre court at the ATP Masters 1000, contributing to inconsistency from both at times. It was Alcaraz who finished the stronger, however, as he expertly recovered from the disappointment of failing to win a point in the second-set tie-break to reach the quarter-finals and equal his personal-best run in Cincinnati from 2022.
Paul had fended off Alcaraz’s first three match points in a 12th game of the second set that featured nine deuces before forcing a decider, and a dramatic encounter took another twist in the third set when rain suspended play for approximately 90 minutes with Alcaraz just two games from victory when serving at 4-3, 15/15 with a break.
When play did restart, it only lasted four points before the rain returned. When the players stepped back on the court, Alcaraz soon brought up match point more than three hours after he was first on the cusp of victory, ultimately breaking Paul to seal the result.
With his win, Alcaraz levelled his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Paul at 2-2. Now 51-5 for the season, his opponent in the last eight will be qualifier Max Purcell, who earlier defeated Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-2. Alcaraz is playing for more than just his fifth Masters 1000 crown this week — he needs to reach the final in Ohio to ensure he keeps his No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.
Alcaraz is preparing for another tough match in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Purcell: “He’s playing great. He defeated a lot of great players, top players,” the World No. 1 said of the Aussie. “So I have to play my best against him. I don’t know him really well, so I have to watch some videos from his last matches and be ready for the quarter-final. It’s not going to be easy.”
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