Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff march through Cincinnati second round

CINCINNATI – Carlos Alcaraz fought through a second-set slump to post a “roller-coaster” 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match of the Cincinnati Open on Aug 10.

The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, raced through the first set but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian.

But Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down on his errors in the third, as a seventh ace took him to a match point that was converted when Dzumhur fired wide.

“It was just a roller coaster,” said the second seed, who won his 12th straight match at the Masters 1000 level after clinching the Monte Carlo and Rome titles.

“Lots of good feelings, bad feelings, back to the good ones. I am happy to get the win at the end. I know that I have chances to do better.”

Alcaraz committed 44 unforced errors and said conditions in Cincinnati, where he was runner-up in 2023, were always tricky.

“The ball flies a lot, goes super fast,” said the 22-year-old, who has reached the finals of his last six tournaments. “You have to be ready to be in a good position for each shot and that is really difficult to do.”

The five-time Grand Slam champion next faces Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic.

Third seed Alexander Zverev found things more straightforward, winning 6-3, 6-3 against American wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy in the night session.

Zverev, 28, needed just 66 minutes to get past Basavareddy, a 20-year-old ranked 109th in the world.

The German put 41 of his 50 first serves in play and did not face a break point.

Basavareddy saved one match point with a blistering service return, but Zverev secured the win with his 12th ace and tuned out the rowdy home supporters who were squarely in his opponent’s corner.

He will meet Brandon Nakashima of the United States in the third round.

American Ben Shelton, coming off his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto, eased through 6-3, 3-1 when Camilo Ugo Carabelli retired with a knee injury.

The Argentinian clutched his knee in pain in the fourth game of the second set and tried to play on after taking a medical timeout. But he could not continue, clearing a path for Shelton to next face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, who beat Briton Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-3 earlier.

Shelton’s early night was a boon after a draining Toronto tournament which ended only on Aug 7 night.

“It’s not easy to play a couple of days after winning any title,” Shelton, 22, said.

“I feel for Camilo and it’s obviously not the way that you want to go through. I hope that he has a quick recovery.”

Asked about the tape on his own right thigh, Shelton said he has “a few muscle things” going on, adding: “The legs take a lot of force.”

Sixth seed Alex de Minaur of Australia, the Washington champion, lost to American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.

But another Australian, Adam Walton, secured a first top-50 win of his career with a 6-7 (0-7), 6-4, 6-1 upset of former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

In the women’s draw, French Open champion Coco Gauff battled through a tough first set to beat China’s Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2.

Gauff, who lifted the trophy in Cincinnati in 2023 and went on to claim her first Grand Slam title at the US Open that year, had to grind her way through the first set.

But the No. 2 seed kept her composure despite eight double faults in the first set to book a meeting with Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in the third round.

The 2023 champion converted on all five break-point chances she got on centre court and was firing on all cylinders as she won 20 of her last 23 points on serve.

“I had a shaky start with the serve, but I was able to push through and figure that out,” Gauff, 21, told the Tennis Channel.

“Just taking my time and remembering the things we worked on in practice and just trying not to, I guess, fall into the same old patterns.”

Gauff’s compatriot and former doubles partner, fourth seed Jessica Pegula, eased past Australian Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3. She will face Magda Linette of Poland next. AFP, REUTERS