Zverev dominates in Cincinnati Open, Shelton advances after injury
Zverev, the 2021 champion, did not face a single break point and sealed the match with one of his 12 aces.
The German will next meet American Brandon Nakashima in the third round.
Fresh from his Canadian Open triumph, Ben Shelton advanced when Argentina's Camilo Ugo Carabelli retired due to a knee injury.
Shelton was leading by a set and a break when Ugo Carabelli withdrew in the second set.
The American will now face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, who earlier defeated Britain's Cam Norrie 6-4 6-3.
Carlos Alcaraz overcame a mid-match slump to beat Bosnian Damir Dzumhur 6-1 2-6 6-3.
The Spaniard struggled with unforced errors in the second set before regaining control to secure victory.
'I have to be better, for sure,' Alcaraz said after the match.
He will next play Serbia's Hamad Medjedovic in the third round.
Second seed Coco Gauff overcame early serving struggles to defeat China's Wang Xinyu 6-3 6-2.
Gauff, despite eight double faults in the first set, converted all five break points to set up a clash with Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska.
'I had a shaky start with the serve but I was able to push through,' Gauff said post-match.
Fourth seed Jessica Pegula eased past Australia's Kimberly Birrell 6-4 6-3 in a straightforward victory.
American Reilly Opelka thrilled the home crowd by defeating sixth seed Alex de Minaur 7-6(6) 6-4.
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New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
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. 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). --AFP
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Zverev dominates in Cincinnati Open, Shelton advances after injury
GERMAN third seed Alexander Zverev delivered a commanding performance to defeat American Nishesh Basavareddy 6-3 6-3 in the Cincinnati Open second round. Zverev, the 2021 champion, did not face a single break point and sealed the match with one of his 12 aces. The German will next meet American Brandon Nakashima in the third round. Fresh from his Canadian Open triumph, Ben Shelton advanced when Argentina's Camilo Ugo Carabelli retired due to a knee injury. Shelton was leading by a set and a break when Ugo Carabelli withdrew in the second set. The American will now face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, who earlier defeated Britain's Cam Norrie 6-4 6-3. Carlos Alcaraz overcame a mid-match slump to beat Bosnian Damir Dzumhur 6-1 2-6 6-3. The Spaniard struggled with unforced errors in the second set before regaining control to secure victory. 'I have to be better, for sure,' Alcaraz said after the match. He will next play Serbia's Hamad Medjedovic in the third round. Second seed Coco Gauff overcame early serving struggles to defeat China's Wang Xinyu 6-3 6-2. Gauff, despite eight double faults in the first set, converted all five break points to set up a clash with Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska. 'I had a shaky start with the serve but I was able to push through,' Gauff said post-match. Fourth seed Jessica Pegula eased past Australia's Kimberly Birrell 6-4 6-3 in a straightforward victory. American Reilly Opelka thrilled the home crowd by defeating sixth seed Alex de Minaur 7-6(6) 6-4.
New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Spain's Alex Palou wins third consecutive IndyCar season title
LOS ANGELES: Spain's Alex Palou captured his third consecutive IndyCar season title and fourth in five campaigns by finishing third in Sunday's Portland Grand Prix, which was won by Australian Will Power. Palou became only the fourth driver in IndyCar history to win three consecutive season crowns after American Ted Horn, France's Sebastien Bourdais and Scotland's Dario Franchitti. "It's unbelievable. It's crazy. I couldn't be happier right now," Palou said. "This has been an amazing season, an amazing five years with CGR (Chip Ganassi Racing). "I have no words to describe how grateful I am to everybody at CGR. This has been an amazing year and I cannot wait for more." With four career season titles, Palou ranks third on the all-time IndyCar list behind the record 10 won by A.J. Foyt and the six taken by New Zealand's Scott Dixon. Power collected his second victory in a row after 110 laps over the 12-turn, 1.964-mile (3.16km) Portland International Raceway road course with Dane Christian Lundgaard second and Palou third. "It was a shame we couldn't end it with another win but we fought," Palou said of the race. "I gave everything that I had. I tried everything to overtake Lundgaard but I couldn't make it today." With 626 points, Palou stands 151 ahead of Mexico's second-place Pato O'Ward in the season ladder, an insurmountable gap with two races remaining. Palou's eight triumphs this season include the Indianapolis 500, St. Petersburg, Thermal, Alabama, Indianapolis Grand Prix, Road America, Iowa and Laguna Seca. Palou, 28, can still match the one-season IndyCar win record of 10 with victories later this month at Milwaukee and Nashville. A.J. Foyt won 10 races in 1964 and Al Unser Sr. won 10 in 1970 while Mario Andretti captured nine in the 1969 campaign. Power captured his 45th career IndyCar win and first of a difficult season. "It's a big win for all of the team," Power said. "We've had a rough year. It's not really because we've been off the pace. It has just been unfortunate circumstances. It was a good hard-fought win." Pole-sitter O'Ward was the only racer who could have denied Palou the crown, but his car suffered an electrical failure on lap 21 and he went eight laps down, all-but ensuring Palou the crown since O'Ward needed to gain 14 points on Palou in the race to stay in the title chase. O'Ward's 25th-place finish was his worst result of the season. O'Ward pitted for fuel after an early crash while Power and Palou stayed out to take first and second. But O'Ward's car lost power and rolled to a stop on the pit lane, crew members running out and pushing him into the service area where they could work on the electrical problem. O'Ward returned to the track eight laps down with Palou second overall, stealing any drama from the title fight. Former Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, team principal for Arrow McLaren, said faulty electrical wiring foiled O'Ward's bid. "The DI box, which is one of the electronic boxes that goes through to make everything work, had a connector with a little bit more of a vibration and, we don't know why, vibrated a little too hard and actually short-fused the whole box — it was burning when we unplugged it," the Brazilian said.
