Carlos Alcaraz defeated Hamad Medjedovic in straight sets to reach the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open with the sweltering conditions.
On Tuesday, August 12, the world No. 2 – who is preparing for the US Open, commencing on August 24 – struggled to break down the big-hitting Medjedovic but dug deep in the key moments to come out on top 6-4 6-4.
Up next, the Spaniard will play Luca Nardi in the last 16 on Thursday after the Italian cruised into the fourth round due to a mid-match retirement from his opponent, Jakub Mensik.
Following the win, the 22-year-old noted, "He's a really powerful player. I know he doesn't like running that much so I tried to make him run as much as I could which was difficult."
Alcaraz added, "I'm really happy to get the win and play some good tennis even if I don't feel my best all the time."
At the start, both players won three games each before Alcaraz seized control, breaking serve in a gruelling 13-minute game to lead 4-3.
He kept his advantage and won the first set in a tough battle.
Alcaraz was cruising in the second set after he broke in the fifth game, but Medjedovic broke back immediately to make it 3-3.
However, the Serbian was visibly fighting the heat and humidity as he began to shorten the points, which did not pay off, as two attempted drop shots hit the net in the seventh game and restored Alcaraz's break.
Notably, the exciting win against Hamad Medjedovic marked Carlos Alcaraz's 50th win of the season.
