Cincinnati Washout Leaves Zverev and Pegula Stranded Mid-Match

Carlos Alcaraz overcame the heat and humidity of a Midwest summer to advance to the fourth round of the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open on Tuesday.

The world number two Spaniard completed his match hours before evening thunderstorms and lightning disrupted play, leaving several top seeds stranded in the third round.

Alexander Zverev was poised to serve for the match against Brandon Nakashima, leading the American 6-4, 5-4, when play was suspended due to lightning. Similarly, American Jessica Pegula found herself halted mid-match while attempting a comeback against Poland’s Magda Linette. Linette had claimed the first set 7-6 (7/5) before Pegula levelled with a 6-3 second set.

Toronto champion Ben Shelton was unable to take to the court against Roberto Bautista Agut, with rain forcing officials to end play for the evening.

Alcaraz Advances Efficiently

Alcaraz kept his exertion to a minimum under 32°C conditions, dispatching Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in just 95 minutes, marking his 50th match win of the year.

“Medjedovic doesn’t like to run that much, so I tried to move him around as much as possible,” Alcaraz said. “But it was difficult with the ball flying fast and his shots coming quickly. I tried to defend well.”

The Spaniard, chasing Jannik Sinner in the ATP rankings, has now won 13 consecutive Masters 1000 matches. He will face Luca Nardi in the quarter-finals after the Italian defeated Jakob Mensik 6-2, 2-1, with Mensik retiring after 42 minutes.

“I was really happy to get the win in a very difficult match,” Alcaraz said. “The season is long, and in many matches, you don’t feel physically at your best. But you have to stay positive and play your best tennis on the day. I’m proud of that—it’s a season goal.”

Toronto finalist Karen Khachanov secured a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Jenson Brooksby.

Marathon Matches in the Heat

Francisco Comesano and Reilly Opelka both struggled under the midday sun. Their match was interrupted for 45 minutes by rain as Comesano triumphed 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-5, saving three match points.

Comesano required a medical timeout midway through the second set but returned to complete a near three-hour contest. Opelka also called for medical assistance moments from defeat, citing dizziness and high blood pressure after being broken for 5-6 in the final set. He returned briefly but lost on his opponent’s second match point.

Comesano, ranked 71st, will face ninth seed Andrey Rublev, who defeated Alexei Popyrin 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/5), 7-5. Comesano converted four of 13 break points, becoming the first Argentine to reach Cincinnati’s round of 16 since Diego Schwartzman in 2022.

WTA Highlights

In the women’s draw, second seed Coco Gauff advanced to the fourth round after Dayana Yastremska withdrew due to illness. Gauff, the 2023 Cincinnati champion and US Open winner, will meet the victor between Jelena Ostapenko and Lucia Bronzetti.

Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini defeated American Ashlyn Krueger 7-6 (7/2), 6-1, while German qualifier Ella Seidel overcame McCartney Kessler 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (8/6). Two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova triumphed over American Iva Jovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Results Table