Alcaraz reaches the Cincinnati final

A match worked for another dream final: the fifth of a Masters 1,000 of his career.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
19 August 2023 Saturday 04:23
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Alcaraz reaches the Cincinnati final

A match worked for another dream final: the fifth of a Masters 1,000 of his career. Alcaraz beat the Polish Hurkacz last morning, a rival who made it even more difficult for him than a week ago in Toronto. The number 1 needed three sets (2-6, 7-64 and 6-3) and overcome a match point to meet in the final with the winner of Zverev-Djokovic that was played late in the morning in Spain.

Hurkacz has been taking the measure to the Spaniard and this time it was done with relative comfort from the first set after coming out much better on court than the Murcian, canceling his service and frustrating his break attempts. A dynamic that moved to the second set to unsettle Alcaraz, who saw that even putting all his effort into it, he was also overcome in that second set, in which he saved a match point thanks to a timely error by the Pole when sending out the turning point.

Virtually lost, Alcaraz accepted the surprising advice that Ferrero threw at him out loud from his box: "Do the opposite of what you think." No sooner said than done. Pulling down the middle path, the Murcian resisted and managed to start that second set in a competitive tie break that led the duel to a third and final one in which Carlitos was Carlitos again to dominate the game from the beginning and break the tie for the first time. his rival's service for 3-1 and definitively put victory on track.