Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals after the “best match” of the tournament.
According to Tennis worlds, Alcaraz is through to the quarter-final at the Cincinnati Masters. The Spaniard faced his coeval and good friend, Luca Nardi, in the fourth round and scored a 6-1, 6-4 triumph in an hour and 20 minutes.
It was their second match of the season, and the favorite earned the second win. Thus, Carlos improved his score against the younger rivals to 11-0, dropping only two sets so far!
Alcaraz played well behind the first and second serve, facing two break points and losing serve once. He took almost half of the return points and converted them into four breaks from 11 opportunities.
The Spaniard dominated the opening set after hitting ten service winners. They traded breaks in games six and seven in set number two before world no. 2 made the difference with another return game at 4-4 after a massive battle.
Carlos seized the fourth break point after the rival's loose forehand, securing another break and extending the gap. The finalist from two years ago landed a service winner at 5-1, securing the first part of the encounter in 27 minutes and gaining a boost.
Nardi raised his level in the second set and provided a break in game six for a 4-2 lead. Alcaraz attacked on the return in the next one and pulled the break back, returning to the positive side of the scoreboard.
The ninth game lasted 14 minutes. The Spaniard made a push on the return and seized the fifth break chance after the Italian's double fault. Carlos served for the win at 5-4 and landed a volley winner on a match point to seal the deal and reach the last eight.
