Atp Cincinnati, Alcaraz in the semifinals

Carlitos Alcaraz detaches the ticket for the semifinal of the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. The Spaniard, who surrendered to Norrie in the quarterfinals last year, manages to overcome the obstacle Max Purcell. The Australian, who started from the qualifiers, had won 5 consecutive matches, eliminating Ruud and Wawrinka. It ends 4-6 6-3 6-4 for Carlitos, who grows in distance and takes the game home in two hours and 12 minutes.

the match

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Alcaraz pays for the break lost at the start of the match and is no longer able to recover it against an excellent hitter like the Australian. Carlitos finds his patience and turns the match upside down in the opening second set, quickly taking up 3-0. Alcaraz keeps the break ahead and closes 6-3, to then open the third set with a break that is worth gold. It seems like the end of Purcell, who instead finds energy out of nowhere. The Australian cancels 4 break points and keeps his serve, then recovers the game disadvantage and subsequently cancels another chance for Carlos. At 4-4 the Spaniard takes flight: first he propitiates a backhand error by his opponent, then he finds a sumptuous reply and confuses Purcell, who double faults and long volleys, losing his serve to zero. When he goes to serve for the match, Carlitos concedes the counter-break ball after a forehand into the middle of the net, but cancels it and then flies off, winning the game with a forehand from midfield and an ace (decisive hit for the third consecutive race). The opponent of the world number 1 will be Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole manages to solve the Popyrin practice: all easy in the first set, won 6-1 in 26 minutes. The music changes in the second, in which Hubert even has to win 10-8 on the tie-break to take the match.