Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Cincinnati wanting to make up for his recent defeats. He fell in the Umag and Hamburg finals and also lost to Tommy Paul in his Montreal debut. After this latest blow, he admitted not being able to handle the pressure for the first time in his career. After his meteoric rise, the 19-year-old Murcian tennis player is already established in the elite and is beginning to feel the demands and expectations of the people. He will debut on the hard court in Cincinnati against Mackenzie McDonald with the aim of removing the bad taste from his mouth.
Alcaraz's rival is ranked number 72 in the ATP ranking and plays at home. This first test for the Spaniard will be held at dawn from Tuesday to Wednesday, not before 01:00 in the morning. It can be seen live through the channel
The one from El Palmar is completing a year of ups and downs. He reached fourth place in the ATP ranking, his best position so far in his still incipient career. He also bettered his performances at two Grand Slam tournaments, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, in which he reached the quarterfinals and the fourth round, respectively. In addition, he has won four of his five Masters 1,000 titles, three on clay and one on hard.
Despite all these achievements, he arrives in Cincinnati at the lowest point of the year. The accumulation of games and hours of play in his legs are taking their toll, and his recent falls in Umag, Hamburg and Montreal prove it. Even so, in two of these tournaments he reached the final and lost against two high level rivals, both Italians: Lorenzo Musetti and Jannik Sinner. In Cincinnati he will no longer have the chance to take the world number one from Medvedev, but he will be able to improve his sensations and reach the US Open, the last major of the year, in the best mental and physical conditions.
His first obstacle will be the American Mackenzie McDonald, number 72 in the world. He already premiered in Cincinnati (Alcaraz did not, being third seeded). In his debut, he defeated the Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili without much trouble, by fast track (6-0, 6-1). This occupies the 34th position of the ATP ranking, so McDonald already knows what it is to surprise in this tournament. However, the challenge of eliminating one of the favorites like Alcaraz is huge, incomparable to their first round clash.
