Danil Medvedev beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 6-2 in 78 minutes to cruise through the third round at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Medvedev dropped his serve in his opening service game, but he broke straight back to love in the next game. The Russian player broke for the second time in the eighth game before serving out the first set.
Musetti came back from 0-40 down to hold serve for 2-1 in the second set. Medvedev held serve at love before breaking twice in the fifth and seventh games and closed out on his first match point.
Medvedev the Italian player for the second time in six days following his win in Toronto last week.
Medvedev leads 2-0 in the head-to-head series against Musetti.
“I think it’s tough for anyone to be comfortable here. The conditions are tough here. They changed court, but then it comes down to being the better in the tough conditions, and that’s what I managed to do today”, said Medvedev.
Medvedev set up a third round match against Alexander Zverev, who battled past Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5 6-4.
Zverev earned his first break in the first game to open up a 2-0 lead. Nishioka broke back in the 10th game to draw level to 5-5. Zverev earned a second break in the 11thgames to seal the first set 7-5.
Zverev broke in the ninth game of the second set and served out the win in the 10thgame.
Carlos Alcaraz battled past Jordan Thompson 7-5 4-6 6-3 to score his 50th win of the season. Alcaraz came back from 2-4 down to edge Thompson 7-5 with two breaks in the seventh and eleventh games in the first set.
Thompson broke serve in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. Alcaraz broke back in the ninth game for 4-5, but Thompson broke again in the 10th game to win the second set 6-4. Alcaraz broke twice in the first and ninth games to seal the third set 6-3. The match finished at 1 am local time following a 30-minute delay at 1-1 in the first set due to rain. Alcaraz set up another match against Tommy Paul, who beat the Spanish player in the quarter final in Toronto last week.
“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 when you step on the court you have to start with the rain”, said Alcaraz.
Dusan Lajovic beat last week’s Toronto Masters 1000 champion Jannik Sinner 6-4 7-6 (7-4). Sinner did not convert any of his break points Neither player was able to earn any break points in the first six games. Lajovic converted his only break point in the seventh game to win the first set set 6-4. Sinner saved three break points to hold serve in the seventh game setting up a tie-break. Lajovic earned three mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-4.
Lajovic set up a third round match against Taylor Fritz, who beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 7-6 (7-1). Fritz earned his first break in the opening set. Sonego broke straight back to draw level to 1-1. Sonego broke in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. Fritz broke straight back in the fifth game. Fritz earned his third break to seal the first set 6-4. The second set went on serve en route to the tie-break, which started with four mini-breaks in the first six points. Fritz earned his third mini-break to win the tie-break 7-1.
Max Purcell upset Casper Ruud 6-4 3-6 6-4. Ruud converted only one of the seven break points. Purcell converted two of the three break points. To set up a third round match against either Stan Wawrinka or Frances Tiafoe.
Stefanos Tsitsipas battled past Ben Shelton 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) to set up a third round match against Hubert Hurkacz.
