CINCINNATI – World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz overcame sweltering Midwest heat to defeat Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday, advancing to the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open and notching his 50th win of the season.
In 32°C (90°F) heat, the Spanish star needed just 95 minutes to dispatch Medjedovic, using his speed and precision to outmaneuver his opponent.
“He doesn’t like to run much, so I tried to move him around,” Alcaraz said. “But the ball was flying, and his shots were coming fast. I had to defend well.”
The victory extends Alcaraz’s winning streak to 13 matches at the Masters 1000 level as he continues his chase of Jannik Sinner in the ATP rankings.
Alcaraz will face Italy’s Luca Nardi in the quarterfinals after Nardi’s opponent, Jakob Mensik, retired due to injury while trailing 6-2, 2-1.
With the US Open approaching, Alcaraz remains focused:
“I’m happy with this win—it was tough. In a long season, you don’t always feel your best, but you have to stay positive. That’s my goal.”
Earlier, Francisco Comesana survived a nearly three-hour thriller against Reilly Opelka, saving three match points to win 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5.
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The match was interrupted by rain for 45 minutes.
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Comesana took a medical timeout in the second set but fought back.
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Opelka, struggling with dizziness and high blood pressure, collapsed after being broken in the final set but returned to play the last point.
Comesana, ranked 71st, will now meet ninth seed Andrey Rublev, who edged Alexei Popyrin in a three-set battle (6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5).