CINCINNATI:
Carlos Alcaraz beat Hamad Medjedovic 6-4 6-4 to reach the Cincinnati Open last 16 on Tuesday, battling the sweltering Ohio heat to notch a tour-leading 50th victory of the season before the evening session was suspended due to rain.
The Spanish second seed also secured his 13th consecutive win at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, converting three of seven break points in a deliberate, slow-paced contest.
Treated for neck pain after the first set, Serbia’s Medjedovic ramped up in the second to shorten rallies, out-hitting Alcaraz 2516 on winners but committing 38 unforced errors to the Spaniard’s 18.
“I know he’s a really powerful player,” Alcaraz said.
“His shots are incredibly hard to return. He has a big serve also. I know he doesn’t like to run too much from side to side, so my plan was to make him run as much as I could.”
Monte Carlo and Rome champion Alcaraz next faces Italian Luca Nardi as he continues his bid for an eight Masters 1000 title.
Earlier, Andrey Rublev rallied from a set down to edge Alexei Popyrin 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 7-5 in a fierce 3-1/2-hour battle.
The Russian ninth seed will play against Argentine Franciso Comesana, who claimed a stunning 6-7(4) 6-4 7-5 win over American Reilly Opelka.
In the women’s draw, second seed Coco Gauff advanced after Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska withdrew from their third-round clash due to illness.
The American will face Lucia Bronzetti, who beat 23rd seed Jelena Ostapenko 1-6 6-3 6-4.
It marked the second third-round walkover, following fellow Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk’s withdrawal before her match against Polish third seed Iga Swiatek.
The Wimbledon champion will take on Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the round of 16.
In the evening session, men’s third seed Alexander Zverev and women’s fourth seed Jessica Pegula were forced off the court mid-match due to rain and the threat of lightning.
The suspension was particularly frustrating for Zverev, who had a 6-4 5-4 lead in his match against American Brandon Nakashima and was about to serve for the win.
Pegula rallied to take the second set 6-3 in her meeting with Magda Linette, leaving their match all square after the Pole won the first 7-6(5).
Canadian Open winner Ben Shelton’s match with Roberto Bautista Agut and Dane Clara Tauson’s match with Veronika Kudermetova were both moved to Wednesday.
Tuesday’s rain-enforced suspension was the latest in a string of interruptions at the Cincinnati Open this week.
On Monday, Jannik Sinner’s win over Gabriel Diallo was delayed by a fire alarm before the players continued through the noise.
There was also a one-hour delay due to a power outage.
