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Carlos Alcaraz booked his place in the third round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati by beating Jordan Thompson on Tuesday, August 15.
The Spaniard entered the tournament as the top seed and received a walkover to the second round. Here, he faced Thompson and won the opening set 7-5, but the Aussie bounced back to take the second set 6-4 and force the match into a decider.
Alcaraz won the final set 6-3 to book his place in the Round of 16 of the Western & Southern Open.
After the match, the two-time Grand Slam champion drew the face with stuck-out tongue emoji on the camera. This was followed by a huge roar of approval from the crowd.
You can view a video of the same (via @TennisTV) here:
Carlos Alcaraz's win over Jordan Thompson was his 50th of the 2023 season out of 55 matches so far. After the match, the 20-year-old said that he found his best level towards the end of what he stated was not an easy contest.
"It wasn't an easy match but I found my best level at the end. We were waiting around all day to play the match and then when you step on the court you have to start with the rain, so it wasn't easy. But you have to find a way to win these matches in this type of situation," he said.
Alcaraz has had an impressive season so far, with six titles to his name. His biggest win was at Wimbledon, where he beat Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in the final. He has also claimed two Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Madrid.
Carlos Alcaraz will face Tommy Paul or Ugo Humbert in the third round of the Western & Southern Open
After overcoming a tough challenge against Jordan Thompson, Carlos Alcaraz will next take on 14th seed Tommy Paul or Ugo Humbert. Victory in that match will seal his place in the last eight of the Western & Southern Open,
Alcaraz will face Paul for the fourth time if the latter qualifies for the Round of 16. The American leads their head-to-head 2-1, most recently beating him 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open last week.
However, the Spaniard won their only meeting in the United States, triumphing 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
If Alcaraz faces Humbert, it will be the very first meeting between the two.
