Carlos Alcaraz is one set from capturing his first Western & Southern Open title.
The World No. 1 rallied from a break down to take the first set 7-5 against 38-time ATP Masters 1000 champion Novak Djokovic. The 20-year-old is closing in on an ATP Tour-leading seventh trophy of the season.
It is the pair’s third Lexus ATP Head2Head showdown in just more than two months. After Djokovic triumphed in the Roland Garros semi-finals, Alcaraz earned his revenge in a memorable five-set Wimbledon final. Djokovic is trying to strike back, but the top seed is in front.
The opening set was a tense start to a highly anticipated championship clash. Over 62 minutes, both men worked their way into the match and each had opportunities to take the advantage. But despite trailing 2-4, Alcaraz stormed back to earn the lead.
On a hot day, both stars quickly used ice towels to try to keep themselves cool during changeovers. For the first eight games of the match, rallies were almost entirely played from the baseline, with the players trying to find their range from deep in the court. Neither truly was at his very best.
Alcaraz often varied the height he hit over the net, but was unable to take advantage of early openings with errors off his typically devastating forehand wing.
But as the set wore on, Alcaraz began to find his range on the backhand, while Djokovic hit one neutral backhand that bounced before the net. After getting back on serve, Alcaraz earned the deciding break of the set by rushing the 36-year-old’s forehand.
Leading to the final, Alcaraz needed a deciding set in all four of his matches, while Djokovic did not lose a set. If the two-time Western & Southern Open champion is able to force a decider, it will be interesting to see if that plays a role.
Did You Know?
This is the first time since 2012 the top two players in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings are meeting in the Western & Southern Open final.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/U0iEgcn
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