Carlos Alcaraz had a tough start to his Cincinnati Open campaign, needing three sets to beat Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 in his first match since losing the Wimbledon final to Jannik Sinner.
The Spaniard breezed through the first set but lost focus in the second, dropping serve twice to the 33-year-old Bosnian. He found his rhythm again in the third, finishing the match with a strong service game.
“It was a rollercoaster,” said Alcaraz. “Lots of ups and downs, but I’m happy to get the win. I know I can play better.”
He hit 44 unforced errors and admitted the quick conditions in Cincinnati made things difficult.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev had a much easier time, beating American wild card Nishesh Basavareddy 6-3, 6-3 in just over an hour, without facing a single break point.
American Ben Shelton, fresh from winning in Toronto, also progressed after his opponent, Camilo Ugo Carabelli, retired with a knee injury in the second set. Shelton was already leading 6-3, 3-1.
“It’s never nice to go through like that,” said Shelton. “I hope Camilo recovers quickly.” The 21-year-old added that he was carrying a few minor muscle problems himself.
In other men’s matches, Australia’s Alex de Minaur was beaten by big-serving American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (6), 6-4. However, fellow Aussie Adam Walton pulled off the biggest surprise of the day, coming from a set down to defeat 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (0), 6-4, 6-1 — his first win over a top-50 player.
In the women’s draw, Coco Gauff continued her title defence with a solid 6-3, 6-2 win over China’s Wang Xinyu. The American struggled early on but settled in the second set to finish the match in just over an hour.
“It was a rough start,” said Gauff, “but I trusted my training and got through.”
Jessica Pegula, last year’s runner-up, also advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Kimberly Birrell, while Jasmine Paolini saw off Maria Sakkari in two tight tiebreak sets.
