Alcaraz avoids the Purcell trap! Carlitos reaches maiden semi-final in Cincinnati winning a tough encounter vs surprise Max Purcell, tamed 4-6 6-3 6-4 The World No.1 faces Hurkacz for a place in the final
Alcaraz seals semifinal spot at Cincinnati Open with hard-fought win over Purcell
ATPFriday, 18 August 2023 at 23:29
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Max Purcell in three sets by 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and advances to the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open.
World No. 1 reached the quarterfinals after receiving a bye in the first round and then securing victories over Jordan Thompson and Tommy Paul, both in challenging three-set matches. Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals for the fifth time in a Masters 1000 event out of six participations, only failing to do so at the Rome Open, where he was eliminated in the third round by Fabian Marozsan.
Purcell came into the match with five wins in Cincinnati, having progressed through the qualifying rounds and then advancing in the main draw with victories over Lloyd Harris, 5th seed Casper Ruud, and Stan Wawrinka. The Australian is participating in his second Masters 1000 main draw after reaching the second round just a week ago at the Canadian Open.
The first set saw both players responding well on each other's service games, but both held their serves until 3-3, where Purcell secured the first break to take a 4-3 lead on his first break point opportunity. The Australian held onto his serve and clinched the set 6-4.
The second set began with Alcaraz's dominance as he quickly broke his opponent's serve and took a 3-0 lead. World No. 1 didn't falter on his service and maintained the lead to win 6-3. He won 83% of his first serves and 77% of his second serves, compared to Purcell's 57% and 70%, respectively.
The third set started with Alcaraz taking an early lead with a break in the first game, but Purcell managed to break back in the fourth game to level at 2-2. In the ninth game, Purcell succumbed to the pressure from the 2-time Grand Slam champion and conceded a break, giving Alcaraz the decisive advantage.
In the semifinal, Alcaraz will face Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated strong opponents such as Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, 15th seed Borna Coric, and 4th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. In the quarterfinals, Hurkacz defeated Alexei Popyrin 6-1, 7-6(8), securing his first Masters 1000 semifinal appearance of the year.
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