Carlos Alcaraz Advances at Cincinnati Open with Win Over Medjedovic

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 2, defeated Serbian Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday to advance to the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open. The match, held under sweltering conditions, marked Alcaraz’s 50th victory of the year.

The win was a crucial step for Alcaraz, who struggled in his opening match against Damir Dzumhur, winning that contest after a three-set battle on Sunday. After competing in the Wimbledon tournament, Alcaraz took some time off, holidaying in southern Spain before returning for training.

“When I’m off, I’m off,” Alcaraz said. “I don’t step in the gym at all.” He used the downtime to recharge, returning to competition with renewed energy.

Alcaraz faced a tough challenge against the dynamic Medjedovic, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2023. Medjedovic showed off his powerful serve and aggressive play but struggled with consistency, committing 38 unforced errors.

<p“His shots are incredibly hard to return,” Alcaraz noted. “I knew 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.”

Despite a brief dip in his performance during the second set, where Medjedovic broke Alcaraz’s serve once, the Spaniard maintained control and wrapped up the match in 95 minutes. He converted three of seven break points to secure his victory and continue his impressive streak at Masters 1000 events.

Alcaraz will next face Italian Luca Nardi, who advanced after the 16th seed Jakub Mensik retired during their match. In women’s singles, Coco Gauff also moved into the fourth round, benefiting from a walkover against Dayana Yastremska.

As the competition heats up, Alcaraz’s upcoming match against Nardi will be crucial as he aims for yet another title in the ATP Masters series.