Alcaraz eases past Medjedovic in Cincinnati for 50th win of the season
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, 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Defending champ Jannik Sinner subdues Terence Atmane to reach Cincinnati ATP final
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Italy's Jannik Sinner hitting autographed balls into the crowd after beating Terence Atmane of France on Aug 16. CINCINNATI - World number one Jannik Sinner ruthlessly subdued 136th-ranked Terence Atmane 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 on Aug 16 to reach the final of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open. Italy's Sinner, celebrating his 24th birthday, ended French qualifier Atmane's dream run and will now try to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2014-15 to win back-to-back titles in Cincinnati. In the Aug 18 final he will face either world number two Carlos Alcaraz or third-ranked Alexander Zverev, who faced off later on Aug 16. Sinner, tuning up for the US Open in his first tournament since winning Wimbledon, has not dropped a set en route to the final. Atmane gave birthday boy Sinner a Pokemon card shortly before they went on court, but he was in a less giving mood once they were under way. The 23-year-old Frenchman, who beat world number four Taylor Fritz and ninth-ranked Holger Rune to reach the semis, looked right at home in the biggest match of his career, using his powerful lefty forehand to good effect. But Sinner surrendered just three points in his first six service games as they went to the tiebreaker with neither man facing a break point. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 280 vapes seized, more than 640 people checked by police, HSA in anti-vape raids at nightspots Singapore SPLRT disruption: 28km of cables to be tested during off-service hours; works to end by Aug 23 Singapore First-half GDP boost likely temporary; Republic must stay relevant amid challenges: Chan Chun Sing Life Six-figure sales each durian season: Why S'pore durian sellers are now live selling on TikTok Singapore Airport-bound public bus to be fitted with luggage rack in 3-month trial: LTA Asia Australian universities slash staff, courses as rising wages and foreign student curbs bite Life Meet the tutors who take O-level exams every year to create a 'war mate' bond with their students Life Pivot or perish: How Singapore restaurants are giving diners what they want Atmane double faulted on the first point of the decider and Sinner was away, powering to a 5-2 lead and pocketing the set at his second opportunity. Sinner showed a first sign of vulnerability as he needed five game points to hold serve in the opening game of the second set. But that was the closest look Atmane got at his serve, and Sinner broke the Frenchman for a 3-1 lead and again to seal the match. AFP
Straits Times
35 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Birthday boy Sinner ends Atmane's dream run to reach Cincinnati final
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Aug 16, 2025; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner (ITA) returns a shot against Terence Atmane (FRA) during the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Top seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner, playing on his 24th birthday, ended French qualifier Terence Atmane's dream run at the Cincinnati Open with a 7-6(4) 6-2 win on Saturday to reach the final of the U.S. Open tune-up event. Sinner won a remarkable 91% of his first-serve points, did not face a single break point during the 86-minute match and converted two of five break points in his first career meeting with world number 136 Atmane. "Very, very tough challenge," Sinner said on court after being serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by the crowd. "Every time when you play against someone completely new it's very difficult. "I knew that I had to be very, very careful and my mindset today was in a good spot. I feel like I handled situations on the court very well." The Italian world number one had his hands full throughout a tightly contested first set which featured an imperious serving display from both men and not a single break point opportunity for either player. Sinner, who lost just three points on serve in the opening set, held to love for a third consecutive game to force the tiebreak where Atmane gifted his opponent the opening point with a double fault and from there the Italian never looked back. The reigning U.S. Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon champion opened the second set with a nine-minute hold of serve, then held to love before finally breaking Atmane for a 3-1 lead that gave him the cushion he needed. Sinner followed that with another hold to love to go 4-1 up and all but end any hope for Atmane, who beat top-10 players Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune en route to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final. With Atmane serving at 2-5 and looking to stay in the match, Sinner quickly jumped ahead 0-40 before sealing the win on his third match point when the Frenchman sent a forehand into the net. Sinner will face either second seed Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev in Monday's final. REUTERS
CNA
35 minutes ago
- CNA
Birthday boy Sinner ends Atmane's dream run to reach Cincinnati final
Top seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner, playing on his 24th birthday, ended French qualifier Terence Atmane's dream run at the Cincinnati Open with a 7-6(4) 6-2 win on Saturday to reach the final of the U.S. Open tune-up event. Sinner won a remarkable 91 per cent of his first-serve points, did not face a single break point during the 86-minute match and converted two of five break points in his first career meeting with world number 136 Atmane. "Very, very tough challenge," Sinner said on court after being serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by the crowd. "Every time when you play against someone completely new it's very difficult. "I knew that I had to be very, very careful and my mindset today was in a good spot. I feel like I handled situations on the court very well." The Italian world number one had his hands full throughout a tightly contested first set which featured an imperious serving display from both men and not a single break point opportunity for either player. Sinner, who lost just three points on serve in the opening set, held to love for a third consecutive game to force the tiebreak where Atmane gifted his opponent the opening point with a double fault and from there the Italian never looked back. The reigning U.S. Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon champion opened the second set with a nine-minute hold of serve, then held to love before finally breaking Atmane for a 3-1 lead that gave him the cushion he needed. Sinner followed that with another hold to love to go 4-1 up and all but end any hope for Atmane, who beat top-10 players Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune en route to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final. With Atmane serving at 2-5 and looking to stay in the match, Sinner quickly jumped ahead 0-40 before sealing the win on his third match point when the Frenchman sent a forehand into the net.
