It's No. 1 Alcaraz vs. No. 2 Djokovic in Western & Southern Open final
MASON, Ohio − World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz survives yet another challenge on the court, defeating Hubert Hurkacz in three sets to advance to the Western & Southern Open final. Alcaraz lost the first set 2-6, climbed out of a deficit in the second set to win 7-6, and won the third set 6-3.
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Saturday evening's moment of the match came at the end of the second set. The exchange of games in the second forced a tiebreaker, where Alcaraz initially went down 4-1. With the help of "Carlos! Carlos! Carlos!" chants from the crowd, Alcaraz rode a massive wave of momentum and won six points in a row, winning the tiebreaker, 7-4.
"(That set) was really, really tough. I knew before the match that playing against Hubert's serve was tough," Alcaraz said, "but we fought until the last ball."
As the energy rose and the match reached its apex, Alcaraz's patented fist bump towards the crowd got its full use Saturday, to say the least. The Cincinnati crowd much leaned in favor of the World No. 1, and the support showed in the third set. Alcaraz displayed his prowess in the third; his foot never let back off the gas as he excelled to the 6-3 win. He's been known for picking up steam as the match goes on, especially this week at the Western & Southern Open, and Saturday was no different.
"When you are against (the crowd) it's even tougher, even impossible," Alcaraz said. "It's crazy, the support that I receive from the crowd here in Cincinnati, I always say that it's necessary to have this support to have comebacks like I did today. They pushed me out, in certain ways, when I was down or when I was in trouble in the match, so I probably got the win thanks to them."
"Cincinnati loves me, and I love Cincinnati," he said.
Hurkacz has now lost all three meetings with Alcaraz, all three coming in 2023. Hurkacz led the tournament in aces coming into the match, 44, and continued his dominance on serve with at least nine Saturday. Despite this, Alcaraz rallied to victory and looks forward to the final.
"It was really tough to read his serve ... it was always to the opposite side we were thinking," Alcaraz said. "He is one of the best service players in the tour, without a doubt."
At only 20 years old, Alcaraz has two Grand Slam titles to his name: U.S. Open and Wimbledon. This season alone, Alcaraz has reached eight finals. The Spaniard is 6-1 in those finals. At the Western & Southern Open, Alcaraz is now the youngest finalist since 1991. Winning the Rookwood Cup would mean he's the youngest champion since 1985.
No. 2 Djokovic wins, sets up Wimbledon final rematch
It was battle of former Western & Southern Open champions Saturday night, as No. 2 Novak Djokovic took down No. 16 Alexander Zverev in the other ATP semifinal. Djokovic won in 7-6, 7-5. Djokovic will be playing in his eighth Western & Southern Open final in his last 12 tries.
Djokovic, current-World No. 2 and two-time Western & Southern Open champion (2018, 2020), and Zverev, a champion in 2021, spent their two sets hardly breaking serve, meaning Djokovic's one in the second set proved to be the difference maker. A packed Center Court stadium endured the high-intensity tennis, and supported Djokovic along the way.
A popular matchup that's happened 12 times since 2017, Djokovic extends his all-time advantage over Zverev to 8-4. The two were an even 2-2 when facing off in tournament semifinals going into Saturday.
"He's one of the best servers in the game, I know (him) really, really well," Djokovic said. "One thing is watching videos and trying to analyze his game, then something completely else is on the court ... it's really hard but in these kinds of conditions you have to try to be patient and wait for the opportunities and when they present, to try to use them. And that was the case."
Historically, the win on Saturday means that Djokovic is now tied for third on the all-time wins list in the Open Era. Jimmy Connors sits atop, Roger Federer in second, and now Djokovic rests even at third with Ivan Lendl and Rafael Nadal. The 36-year-old Serbian also boasts the third-most men's singles titles, 94, throughout his illustrious career. In 2023, Djokovic holds a 37-5 record and three titles.
Sunday is now officially ATP's No. 1 vs. No. 2, as Alcaraz and Djokovic have made their ways through their respective sides of the bracket. The two have met three times, most recently in the final of Wimbledon back in July, where Alcaraz got the better of Djokovic. The other two were semifinals, where each won one, meaning Alcaraz leads the all-time matchup.
"The last three tournaments I've played him," Djokovic said, "and it's starting to become a rivalry between us and I'm loving it ... he's a great guy, he's an amazing competitor, he brings a lot of tenacity, very complete player, a lot of energy, very dynamic on the court."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: It's No. 1 Alcaraz vs. No. 2 Djokovic in Western & Southern Open final
