Carlos Alcaraz cemented his position as the world No. 1 and the new player to beat in tennis after his incredible triumph over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final last month. He revealed his weaknesses last week when he lost to Tommy Paul of America in Toronto and again in his matches in Cincinnati.
However, Alcaraz had a much harder week as he struggled to defeat Jordan Thompson and Tommy Paul in decisive sets in his first two rounds. In the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Saturday, world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will compete against Hubert Hurkacz.
Alcaraz is regarded as one of the best returners in the sport, which might show at some time during this game. But when Hurkacz is doing his job properly, he contributes a strong backhand and tone.
Although Alcaraz is not at his best these days, he is still at the top spot in the ATP ranking. Hurkacz has also had a stunning appearance this week. We’ll continue to see if Alcaraz defends his US Open title.
Carlitos commented: “He was a tough man to beat in Toronto. The court is a bit quicker here and that probably suits his game with a big serve, so I need to get as much as I can on the court in the return of serve and then try to play the rally.
It’s the semi-final of a Masters 1000 so of course I will go for it.”
Alcaraz in Cincinnati, ranking, and results in 2023
WLWLLWLWWW Ranked world no.1, the Spaniard has managed to achieve a compiled 52-5 win-loss record in 2023. Carlos is playing in Cincinnati where he conquered the world no.55 Jordan Thompson 7-5 4-6 6-3, the world no.13 Tommy Paul 7-66 6-70 6-3 and the world no.70 Max Purcell 4-6 6-3 6-4.
Carlos Alcaraz will fight against the world no.20 Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinal on Saturday at 3:00 pm on CENTER COURT. Their record is 2-0 for Alcaraz.
Carlos clinched 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. The Spaniard was the finalist in Rio de Janeiro (Rio Open).
The Spaniard won 12 titles in his career: 3 on hard courts, 7 on clay courts and 2 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Alcaraz is scheduled to play next at the U.S. Open (U.S. Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 28th of August.
Hurkacz in Cincinnati, ranking, and results in 2023
Ranked no.20, the Pole owns an overall 31-17 record in 2023. The Pole is competing in Cincinnati where he ousted the world no.78 Thanasi Kokkinakis 7-62 3-6 7-61, the world no.16 Borna Coric 5-7 6-3 6-3, the world no.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 and the world no.58 Alexei Popyrin 6-1 7-68.
Hubert Hurkacz will square off with the world no.1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal on Saturday at 3:00 pm on CENTER COURT. Their actual record is 2-0 for Alcaraz.
Hurkacz has won 1 title in 2023 in Marseille.
The Pole won 6 titles in his career: 3 on hard courts, 2 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Hurkacz will play next at the U.S. Open (U.S. Open). He will begin to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 28th of August.
Carlos Alcaraz and Hubert Hurkacz faced off only twice. Their actual head to head record is 2-0 for Alcaraz. Previously, the last time they fought against each other, Carlos Alcaraz won 3-6 7-6(2) 7-6(3) in the 3rd round in Toronto (National Bank Open) on the 10th of August 2023.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
Carlos Alcaraz and Hubert Hurkacz |
| Embed from Getty Images |
