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Max Purcell of Australia will face top seed and world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal of the Cincinnati Open on Friday, August 18. The 20-year-old Spaniard will be the favorite to win the match and go another step closer to setting up a final showdown with second seed Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz beat Tommy Paul in the third round, while Purcell disposed of Stan Wawrinka. Purcell will want to continue his good run in the Masters 1000 tournament but will face an uphill task against the Spaniard in the quarters.
On that note, let us take a look at two things to watch for in the clash between Alcaraz and Purcell.
#1 Carlos Alcaraz’s forehand should prove to be a formidable weapon
Alcaraz won his match against Tommy Paul primarily by the strength of his powerful forehand. His crosscourt forehand kept troubling the American repeatedly by making him stretch towards his right side. The Spaniard’s forehand will continue to hold the key in the quarterfinal, too.
Alcaraz usually pushes his opponents further behind the baseline using his forehand and then comes up with accurate drop shots to make it very difficult for them to retrieve the ball.
The Spaniard is a bit weaker off his backhand wing but has the enviable ability to hit return winners off it, as he demonstrated against Paul. Max Purcell should be wary of it and should try to serve in Alcaraz’s forehand as much as possible.
#2 Carlos Alcaraz’s mental resolve should see him through
Alcaraz is already famous for his exceptional mental resolve at a very young age, much of which was on display against Paul. The Spaniard bounced back from a 2-5 deficit in the first set to take it to a tie-break and then again overturned a 3-5 deficit in the tie-break to win it.
He was once again a break down in the second set, but overcame that deficit, too. Carlos Alcaraz also won his second-round match from a precarious position against Jordan Thompson - something that underlines the fact that even when he is not in the best of forms, he can still grind a result out.
Hence, Purcell should find it very difficult to overcome the World No. 1 and will have to exceed all expectations to cause an upset. However, the Australian has been in very good form in the tournament so far and will stand an outside chance of upsetting the Spaniard.
