Carlos Alcaraz battles as Shelton, Zverev race into Cincinnati third round
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.
Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down 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 rollercoaster,' said the second seed, who was winning his 12th straight match at the Masters 1000 level after taking the titles in Monte Carlo and Rome.
'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,' he said. 'You have to be ready to be in a good position for each shot and that is really difficult to do.'
Third seed Alexander Zverev found things more straightforward, winning 6-3, 6-3 against US wild card Nishesh Basavareddy in the night session.
Zverev 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 didn't face a break point. Basavareddy saved one match point with a blistering service return but Zverev secured the win with his 12th ace.
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.
Shelton's early night was a boon after a draining Toronto tournament which only ended on Thursday night.
'It's not easy to play a couple of days after winning any title,' Shelton 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.
'The legs take a lot of force,' he said.
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 number one and 2019 Cincy champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia.
Gauff battles through
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 number two seed steadied in the second to run out the winner in 71 minutes.
'It was a rough start,' Gauff said. 'But it was about just trusting myself and the work we've done in practice.'
Third seed Jessica Pegula, runner-up last year to Aryna Sabalenka, defeated Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3.
Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, finalist last season at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, also advanced, beating Maria Sakkari of Greece 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5).
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Business Recorder
13 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Carlos Alcaraz battles as Shelton, Zverev race into Cincinnati third round
CINCINNATI: Carlos Alcaraz fought through a second-set slump to post a 'rollercoaster' 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match Sunday at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open. 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. Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down 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 rollercoaster,' said the second seed, who was winning his 12th straight match at the Masters 1000 level after taking the titles in Monte Carlo and Rome. '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,' he said. 'You have to be ready to be in a good position for each shot and that is really difficult to do.' Third seed Alexander Zverev found things more straightforward, winning 6-3, 6-3 against US wild card Nishesh Basavareddy in the night session. Zverev 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 didn't face a break point. Basavareddy saved one match point with a blistering service return but Zverev secured the win with his 12th ace. 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. Shelton's early night was a boon after a draining Toronto tournament which only ended on Thursday night. 'It's not easy to play a couple of days after winning any title,' Shelton 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. 'The legs take a lot of force,' he said. 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 number one and 2019 Cincy champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia. Gauff battles through 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 number two seed steadied in the second to run out the winner in 71 minutes. 'It was a rough start,' Gauff said. 'But it was about just trusting myself and the work we've done in practice.' Third seed Jessica Pegula, runner-up last year to Aryna Sabalenka, defeated Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3. Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, finalist last season at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, also advanced, beating Maria Sakkari of Greece 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5).
Express Tribune
20 hours ago
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Sinner, Sabalenka make winning starts in Cincy
Jannik Sinner returns a shot against Daniel Elahi Galan during the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. PHOTO: AARON DOSTER/REUTERS Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka got their title defenses off to smooth starts as they powered into the third round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday. The men's and women's top seeds, each ranked number one in the world, were both competing for the first time since Wimbledon — where Sinner lifted the title and as Sabalenka bowed out in the women's semi-finals. Sinner crushed Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-1 in steamy afternoon weather while Sabalenka beat 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-1 under the lights of the night session. Sabalenka needed 54 minutes and a service break in the final game to clinch the opening set with a stinging winner. The second set was more of a grind than the score suggested as she saved five break points for a 4-1 lead and recovered from 0-30 down in the final game before securing the win. "It's always a tough match against her," Sabalenka said of the Czech opponent she has faced nine times. "She pushed me to the limit. If you lose focus even a little bit it can cost you a set. I had to fight for every point against her," added Sabalenka, who next faces Britain's Emma Raducanu, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Olga Danilovic. Meanwhile Sinner outclassed Colombia's Galan with 17 winners and just four unforced errors. Sinner won the opening five games in 15 minutes as he allowed his 144th-ranked opponent, who came through qualifying, little breathing room. The victory in 59 minutes was the fastest of Sinner's ATP career, beating his previous quickest by one minute. Sinner claimed his 22nd consecutive win on hardcourt, last losing the Beijing final in September to rival Carlos Alcaraz. "I didn't know what to expect," Sinner said of his return to tournament action. "I'm happy because it's not easy to play here. "The ball is flying and you have to serve very precise if you want to go far in the tournament. "Today I was finding my spots but there is still a little room to improve. For a first match it could not have gone better." After snapping up the first set Sinner broke to start the second before Galan clawed out a hold in a seven-minute game in which he fought off five break points. But it was only a momentary reprieve. Sinner fired three aces to hold for 3-1 as he roared away again for the victory. Fourth-seeded American Taylor Fritz eased past qualifier Emlilio Nava 6-4, 6-4 and seventh-seeded Holger Rune won his opener 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) over Russian Roman Safiullin. But eighth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti and 11th-seeded Casper Ruud bowed out to French opponents. Benjamin Bonzi defeated Musetti 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) while Artur Rinderknech beat Ruud 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2 — taking full advantage of Ruud's 34 unforced errors. Rinderknech was pleased with his success so far at his Cincinnati debut. "I stayed aggressive throughout the match," he said. "You cannot let Casper start to dictate." In other women's action, reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek earned an efficient opening win over Anastasia Potapova 6-1, 6-4. Poland's Swiatek has reached the final four at the last two editions but Cincinnati remains one of the two 1000-level tournaments — along with Canada — where she has never played a final. The third seed moved into the third round in just 74 minutes, saving four of the five break points she faced. "I wanted to play solid — but intense as well," Swiatek said. "It was up and down in the second set. But in the important moments I got my level up to close out the win." Australian Open winner Madison Keys needed more than two hours to advance with a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) over German Eva Lys, saving two match points at 5-6 in the deciding set.
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2 days ago
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U.S. Open 2025 prize money: how much do the winners get?
The four Grand Slams offer a trophy and place in the history books as well as significant prize money. Here is what you need to know about the prize pot on offer at the US Open 2025, the fourth and final major of the year: When is the 2025 u.s. open happening? The hardcourt tournament will run from August 24 to September 7. What is the total prize fund? The U.S. Open announced that $90 million in prize money will be on offer, the largest purse in tennis history, up 20% from 2024. How much will the men's and women's singles players earn? Round of 128: $110,000 Round of 64: $154,000 Round of 32: $237,000 Round of 16: $400,000 Quarter-finals: $660,000 Semi-finals: $1,260,000 Runner-up: $2,500,000 Champion: $5,000,000 How does the prize money compare to the 2024 US open? The winners of the men's and women's singles in 2024, Italian Jannik Sinner and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, received $3.6 million each in prize money. What about the other grand slams in 2024 and 2025? Australian Open 2025 singles champions, Sinner and American Madison Keys, received A$3.5 million ($2.28 million)each in prize money. French Open 2025 singles champions, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and American Coco Gauff, took home 2.55 million euros ($3 million) each. Wimbledon 2025 singles champions, Sinner and Pole Iga Swiatek, received 3 million pounds ($4 million). Significant pay hikes at the Grand Slams were central to the demands of the world's top players in their letter to the four majors this year. What is the prize money on offer in men's and women's doubles? First round: $30,000 Second round: $45,000 Third round: $75,000 Quarter-finals: $125,000 Semi-finals: $250,000 Runners-up: $500,000 Champions: $1,000,000 What is the prize money on offer in mixed doubles? The competition will take place a week before the singles main draw during the tournament's 'Fan Week'. Alcaraz has paired up with Emma Raducanu while Sinner has teamed up with Emma Navarro, with other high-ranked singles players also set to take part. The matches will be best of three sets, with short sets to four games, no-advantage scoring, tiebreakers at four-all and a 10-point tiebreak in lieu of a third set. The final will be a best-of-three set match to six games. The new format has come in for criticism from renowned doubles players, with reigning champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori saying it was a 'profound injustice' that disrespect's doubles players, describing the new event as a 'pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show'.
