Alcaraz beats Medjedovic as Cincinnati washout leaves Zverev and Pegula stranded mid-match
- Last updated: August 14, 2025 | 10:21
Carlos Alcaraz beat Hamad Medjedovic 6-4 6-4 to reach the Cincinnati Open last 16 on Tuesday, battling the sweltering Ohio heat to notch a tour-leading 50th victory of the season before the evening session was suspended due to rain.
The Spanish second seed also secured his 13th consecutive win at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, converting three of seven break points in a deliberate, slow-paced contest.
Treated for neck pain after the first set, Serbia’s Medjedovic ramped up in the second to shorten rallies, out-hitting Alcaraz 25-16 on winners but committing 38 unforced errors to the Spaniard’s 18.
“I know he’s a really powerful player,” Alcaraz said.
“His shots are incredibly hard to return. He has a big serve also. I know 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.”
Monte Carlo and Rome champion Alcaraz next faces Italian Luca Nardi as he continues his bid for an eight Masters 1000 title.
Earlier, Andrey Rublev rallied from a set down to edge Alexei Popyrin 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 7-5 in a fierce 3-1/2-hour battle.
The Russian ninth seed will play against Argentine Franciso Comesana, who claimed a stunning 6-7(4) 6-4 7-5 win over American Reilly Opelka.
In the women’s draw, second seed Coco Gauff advanced after Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska withdrew from their third-round clash due to illness. The American will face Lucia Bronzetti, who beat 23rd seed Jelena Ostapenko 1-6 6-3 6-4.
It marked the second third-round walkover, following fellow Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk’s withdrawal before her match against Polish third seed Iga Swiatek. The Wimbledon champion will take on Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the round of 16.
In the evening session, men’s third seed Alexander Zverev and women’s fourth seed Jessica Pegula were forced off the court mid-match due to rain and the threat of lightning.
The suspension was particularly frustrating for Zverev, who had a 6-4 5-4 lead in his match against American Brandon Nakashima and was about to serve for the win.
Pegula rallied to take the second set 6-3 in her meeting with Magda Linette, leaving their match all square after the Pole won the first 7-6(5).
Canadian Open winner Ben Shelton’s match with Roberto Bautista Agut and Dane Clara Tauson’s match with Veronika Kudermetova were both moved.
Tuesday’s rain-enforced suspension was the latest in a string of interruptions at the Cincinnati Open this week.
On Monday, Jannik Sinner’s win over Gabriel Diallo was delayed by a fire alarm before the players continued through the noise.
Venus and Garica get wildcards for US Open: Two-time former champion Venus Williams is set to make her 25th US Open appearance after receiving a wild card into the women’s singles.
The 45-year-old American recently returned from a 16-month layoff after a serious health scare and was among eight women’s wild card recipients named on Wednesday by tournament organisers.
Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Williams will become the oldest singles entrant at the US Open since Renee Richards, who was 47 in 1981.
Williams underwent surgery last year to remove uterine fibroids and missed most of the season.
She made her comeback last month and became the oldest WTA match winner since Martina Navratilova at the age of 47 at Wimbledon in 2004, beating Peyton Stearns in the first round of the DC Open.
Williams, the 2000 Sydney Olympic singles champion, has also won five Wimbledon singles titles to go along with her 2000 and 2001 US Open triumphs.
She lost in the final in New York on her debut to Martina Hingis as a teenager in 1997. Venus also finished runner-up to younger sister Serena in 2002.
France’s Caroline Garcia, 31, was given a wild card into what will be her final Grand Slam before retirement. Her best run at a major came when she reached the US Open semi-finals three years ago.
Americans Clervie Ngounoue, Julieta Pareja, Caty McNally, Valerie Glozman and Alyssa Ahn are other wild card recipients, as is Australian Talia Gibson.
Agencies