Alcaraz survives and is a finalist in Cincinnati

The Spanish player managed to prevail against the challenge of Hubert Hurkacz (2-6, 7-6(4), 6-3) to reach the final of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 for the first time in his career. This Sunday, he will seek his thirteenth ATP title against Djokovic or Zverev.

The men’s semifinals of the Western & Southern Open opened with Carlos Alcaraz and Hubert Hurkacz. The Spaniard continued on his path in search of good feelings ahead of the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year, where he is defending the trophy. Last week in Toronto, he couldn’t showcase his best tennis and was eliminated in the quarterfinals. In this tournament, he showed the opposite, at least if we focus solely on the results. It was more challenging than he expected, but he managed to defeat Thompson, Paul, and Purcell. On the other side was the Polish player. Although he is going through an inconsistent phase, he is a player who can easily complicate things. They faced each other twice before, both of which were victories for the native of Murcia.

The Polish player takes the lead in the beginning The duel on the Central Court began in favor of Hurkacz, who capitalized on the mistakes of a sluggish Alcaraz, turning them into positive numbers. The Pole made the most of his incredible height and power, securing two games of his own and taking a 3-0 lead on the scoreboard. However, it was noticeable that the Spaniard was gradually adapting to the rhythm of the match and to the rallies that his opponent tried to shorten. From the sixth game onwards, the first opportunities for Alcaraz emerged. The World No. 1 had two break points, both of which Hurkacz managed to escape with composure. Frustration consumed him, he missed simple shots once again, and conceded the first set with a lopsided 6-2 in 38 minutes.

Alcaraz takes it to the third set

Carlos gradually raised his level, finding better sensations in his returns, and even creating three break points in the third game. However, all three opportunities were saved by Hurkacz with strong serves, with the Pole leading 2-1 at the first set break. Hurkacz managed to perfectly handle Alcaraz’s powerful attacks, which put pressure on the service games of the Murcian player, who always found himself needing to hold to level the score. Following the same pattern and with many breathtaking points, the critical moment of the set arrived, where Carlos had to save a match point at 30-40 in the 4-5 game. Hubi missed a wide parallel forehand, and then Carlos pulled through the game.

After two more service-dominant games, it was time for a tiebreak. In that tiebreak, the Pole got an early mini-break due to a missed volley by Alcaraz and took the lead, maintaining his relentless serve. However, Carlos turned the tables by winning five consecutive points from 1-4 down to take the final score to 7-4, securing the second set.

Carlos seals his spot in the final

A different atmosphere was in the air at the start of the third set, with Alcaraz ready to strike and finally overcome Hurkacz’s fierce resistance. After a series of errors by the Polish player, Carlos secured a break in the fourth game, taking a 3-1 lead and being ahead in the score for the first time in the match. The trend was clear, and although Hubi didn’t give up, it seemed all but decided. With complete authority, Alcaraz sealed his epic comeback with a final score of 6-3, advancing to a new final in his career.