The rapid rise of Carlos Alcaraz continues this week at the Western & Southern Open, where his 7-6(4), 6-1 victory against Marin Cilic on Thursday made him the event’s youngest quarter-finalist since Andy Murray 16 years ago.

The Spaniard could move past Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev to No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by winning his third ATP Masters title of the season in Cincinnati. After reaching the quarter-finals, he remains at No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings but is less than 600 points shy of the second spot.

Alcaraz showed great resilience against Cilic on centre court, rebounding strongly after missing out on two set points as he attempted to serve out the first set.

“I know that Marin is a really aggressive player. I had to be really focussed on the match,” Alcaraz said after his victory. “I knew that it was going to be a tough match, that I had to be [mentally] in the match all the time. I knew that I was going to have my chances to break his big serve. So I’m really happy with the performance and the focus in the match.”

The 19-year-old was controlling the rallies and did not drop a point on first serve until he stepped to the line at 5-4 in the opener. But the Croatian picked up his aggression late in the set, and after three consecutive Alcaraz double faults handed back his break advantage, a quick Cilic hold forced his opponent to serve to stay in the set.

Rising to the occasion, Alcaraz got back on the attack to win eight straight points and wrestle back control of the set and match.

“Obviously these kind of things can happen in really close moments,” he said of the serving hiccup. “It’s tough to come back after three double faults in a row to break my serve in that moment, but I am serving really well so I will just train a little bit more tomorrow before the quarter-finals. But I have the confidence pretty high.”

In set two, Alcaraz consolidated an early love break by saving a pair of break points at 2-0. He continued to dictate play and was rewarded with an insurance break late in the set.

Alcaraz wrapped up a strong serving performance with eight aces and an 83 per cent win rate on first serve, outpacing the big-serving Cilic’s four aces and 60 per cent first-serve win rate. The Croatian finished with 27 unforced errors as he was forced to press the issue to stay in the rallies against his in-form opponent.

The Spaniard will next face ninth seed Cameron Norrie, who ended the dream debut of Ben Shelton with a 6-0, 6-2 win on Thursday evening.

Now 17-3 at the ATP Masters 1000s this season, Alcaraz is bidding for his third title at that prestigious level (Miami, Madrid). He is the only player with multiple Masters 1000 titles in 2022.

A set-and-a-break deficit. Two match points faced. No problem for Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The Canadian was in deep trouble Thursday evening in Cincinnati, but rallied past Jannik Sinner 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the Western & Southern Open.

“Jannik was just playing too good. I didn’t have a great start, I was missing a lot. But I just had no time. He was playing so fast, so precise, serving well. For a set and a half, it was just too good,” Auger-Aliassime said in his on-court interview. “That game he broke me in the second, returning on the baseline for three returns in a row, you can’t do much better, so I had to give it to him.

“But at the end, I was still on the court trying to find ways, trying to fight and trying to see how I could make him miss a few more balls and to put myself in a competing position and I did that well… To come back and play that way in the tie-break and the third set, that means a lot to me going forward.”

For the first half of the match, Sinner’s power and returning of Auger-Aliassime’s big serve had the 2019 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion in full control. The 20-year-old led 6-2, 4-2 and later held two consecutive match points at 6-2, 6-5, 15/40, but he was unable to close out the match.

On the first of those match points, Sinner hit a blistering return to seize the offensive, but later missed a high forehand into the top of the net. Auger-Aliassime then crushed a serve-and-forehand combination to stave off the Italian’s next opportunity.

From there, Sinner’s level dipped and Auger-Aliassime found more consistency to completely flip the tone of the clash. The Canadian played a flawless tie-break while his opponent’s game faltered.

Auger-Aliassime now leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head 2-0 after defeating Sinner 6-1, 6-2 on clay three months ago at the Mutua Madrid Open.

“I had to move better after my second serve because you hit a second serve, he plays early and he hits it really hard right at you, so there’s not much you can do. Sometimes it’s too good,” Auger-Aliassime said. “But I had to move my feet a little bit more, start the rally and then see how it goes. I think I did that better.”

This was a critical match in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. Auger-Aliassime consolidated sixth place in the Live Race as he tries to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. Sinner is in 15th, but had an opportunity to make up ground this week with a deep run in Ohio.

The seventh seed will next play World No. 152 Borna Coric, who has enjoyed a dream run this week as he continues his recovery from shoulder surgery. The Croatian has upset Rafael Nadal and Roberto Bautista Agut in back-to-back matches.

Did You Know?
Auger-Aliassime has now reached four consecutive ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals. The Canadian will try to reach his first semi-final at this level since 2019 in Miami when he plays Coric.

In Thursday’s matchup between the reigning US Open champions and the this year’s Australian Open winners, the New York titlists emerged victorious at the Western & Southern Open.

Top seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury edged the Australian duo of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios 6-7(3), 6-2, 10-8, claiming victory without dropping serve in Cincinnati. The American-British duo saved the only two break points they faced in the opening game of the match but still needed to claim a tight Match Tie-break to earn their first victory since reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals.

After dropping the first-set tie-break and dominating the second set with two breaks, Ram/Salisbury required three match points to seal the Match Tie-break as the Aussies threatened to come back from 6/9 down.

Behind a 91 per cent (41/45) win rate on first serve, the pair advanced to face Wednesday winners Karen Khachanov and Denis Shapovalov in the quarter-finals.

Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas also won a Match Tie-Break on Thursday, upsetting fifth seeds and Wimbledon finalists Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-7. The Danish/Greek team converted on three of seven break chances, including in the final game of set two, when a scrambling Tsitsipas lob brought up set point.

Rune/Tsitsipas will next face fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer in the quarter-finals. The Salvadoran/Dutch team finished as 6-3, 7-6(11) winners after a marathon second-set tie-break against Americans William Blumberg and Steve Johnson.

Second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos also advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Grigor Dimitrov and Andrey Rublev, while sixth seeds Tim Puetz and Michael Venus survived a Match Tie-break to notch a 4-6, 7-6(2), 10-8 victory against Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara.

Prize money for men and women at the US Open will top more than $60 million for the first time, the USTA announced on Thursday.

With input from the ATP and WTA Player Councils, the organisation increased prize money in the earlier rounds and for the qualifying event.

Players who lose in the first round of the main draw will earn $80,000, an increase of 85 per cent since 2016. The US Open qualifying event will award $6.26 million in prize money, which is up 223 per cent from 2016. Final-round qualifying competitors will earn $44,000.

The men’s and women’s singles champions will each receive $2,600,000 for lifting the trophy and the finalists will be awarded $1,300,000.

The 2022 US Open will be played from 29 August through 11 September. Qualifying begins on 23 August.

Main Draw Singles

Main Draw Doubles (per team)

Stefanos Tsitsipas continued to look at home in Cincinnati on Thursday at the Western & Southern Open.

The Greek, who has reached the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event in each of the past two years, advanced to the quarter-finals with a dominant 6-3, 6-3 win against Diego Schwartzman.

Earlier this season, the pair had played two tight three-setters. But Tsitsipas never allowed Schwartzman to get comfortable on the Ohio hard court, triumphing in one hour and minutes to take a 3-2 lead in their ATP Head2Head series.

The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion stood out on return, earning 14 break points in the match and converting five of them. The fourth seed is into the last eight at the Lindner Family Tennis Center without losing a set.

Tsitsipas was in complete control when he served for the match at 5-2 in the second set, but mishit a backhand long to keep Schwartzman’s hopes alive. The Argentine was unable to take advantage of the opening, however, losing his serve for the fifth time in the next game and with it, the match.

Next up for Tsitsipas will be an American: John Isner or Sebastian Korda. Tsitsipas has won four consecutive meetings with Isner (4-2 overall) and claimed his only match against Korda, which came in Cincinnati last year.

Daniil Medvedev showed further signs of improvement at the Western & Southern Open Thursday, when he backed up his opening-round win over Botic van de Zandschulp with a victory against dynamic lefty Denis Shapovalov.

The 26-year-old overcame Canadian Shapovalov 7-5, 7-5 in one hour and 45 minutes to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season. The top seed suffered a disappointing second-round loss against Nick Kyrgios in Montreal last week, but he is looking back to his best on the courts in Cincinnati.

Medvedev hit his flat backhand with consistency, while he stood deep behind the baseline on return to soak up Shapovalov’s lefty serve and penetrating forehand, improving to 3-2 in their ATP Head2Head series.

“The match was pretty tight. I felt that it was a great level. I felt that he was missing a bit more than me but making more points, but that is how Shapo plays,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “My goal was to stay there every point possible and try and put pressure on him when I had the chance. But there were many points where I was just running across the baseline, trying to get back his shots. Generally happy with the level.”

The 14-time tour-level titlist will next play American Taylor Fritz after the Indian Wells champion edged Andrey Rublev in three sets.

“Taylor is a great player. We have hit quite a few times. Before ATP Cup we had a session and I think he beat me, which doesn’t really matter, but I said to my coach, ‘Wow he can play really well, it can be a good year for him.’ Then he won Indian Wells,” Medvedev said. “Maybe he could have done better at some other tournaments, but he is a Masters [1000] champion. He is an amazing player and I need to be at my best to try and beat him.”

With his victory, Medvedev has improved his record in Ohio to 13-4. The 26-year-old lifted his maiden Masters 1000 crown at the hard-court event in 2019, before he enjoyed a run to the semi-finals last season. He is looking to capture his second title of the season this week, after triumphing in Los Cabos earlier this month.

Medvedev is also ensured of his No. 1 status in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings until at least after the US Open following Rafael Nadal’s second-round defeat against Borna Coric on Wednesday.

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In a hard-fought first clash, Shapovalov continuously tried to pull Medvedev around the court, dancing around the ball to strike his forehand into the corners. However, the top seed has become renowned for being able to dig deep and soak up pressure and that was on show during the key moments.

Medvedev forced Shapovalov to overhit during the 11th game of the first set as he gained the decisive break, before the pressure overwhelmed Shapovalov again during the latter stages of the second set, when Medvedev’s watertight groundstrokes forced the Canadian to make one error to many on serve at 5-5. Medvedev then swept through his final service game to advance.

Medvedev’s defensive skills frustrated Shapovalov throughout the match and is shown in his INSIGHTS: Steal Score. The top seed won 39 per cent of points when defending, well above the Tour average of 34 per cent. This was in contrast to Shapovalov, who earned just 23 per cent of points when on the back foot.

Shapovalov earned consecutive wins for the first time since May when he defeated Tommy Paul to reach the third round in Cincinnati. However, he was unable to hit through Medvedev and advance to the quarter-finals for the first time in Ohio.

Taylor Fritz reached his third ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season Thursday at the Western & Southern Open, where he clawed past Andrey Rublev 6-7(4), 6-2, 7-5 to set a potential clash with World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev.

The American, who dispatched Nick Kyrgios in his last match in Cincinnati, showcased his defensive and offensive skills throughout the two-hour and 32-minute clash against Rublev, soaking up the sixth seed’s aggressive ball striking to improve to 4-2 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Fritz now holds a 35-13 record on the year and is the first American since John Isner and Jack Sock in 2017 to reach the last eight at three Masters 1000 events in a single season.

The 24-year-old defeated Rublev en route to his first Masters 1000 trophy in Indian Wells in March and will continue the quest for a third trophy of the season when he next plays Medvedev or Canadian Denis Shapovalov. Fritz had never been beyond the first round in Cincinnati in three previous appearances before this week.

In a tight clash, both looked to step inside the baseline and dictate play off the ground. Rublev, who received a medical timeout during the match due to a leg injury, saved one set point on serve at 4-5 in the first set, before he found early momentum in the tie-break to move ahead.

However, Fritz upped his intensity in the second set and started to frustrate Rublev with his consistency, committing just four unforced errors to force a decider. With the pressure on, it was Fritz who held his nerve to advance, breaking in the 11th game of the third set before holding to triumph.

Fritz is up to No. 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as he looks to qualify and make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals in November.

Rublev was looking to advance to his third Masters 1000 quarter-final of the year, having reached the semi-finals in Indian Wells and quarter-finals in Madrid. The 24-year-old, who edged Fabio Fognini in his opening match, reached the final in Cincinnati last season.

The International Tennis Writers Association (ITWA) is delighted to announce Giri Nathan as the inaugural winner of the Tom Perrotta Prize for Tennis Journalism.

The annual prize, which is awarded to a writer under the age of 40 who shows excellence in tennis journalism and which includes a $2,000 cash award, will be presented during the US Open at Flushing Meadows.

The five-strong judging panel loved Nathan’s “refreshing” writing style, particularly in two pieces for Racquet Magazine; “Big Nick Energy”, about Nick Kyrgios and “Emma, Inc”, which examined the impact of Emma Raducanu’s stunning US Open triumph in 2021.

The award is in memory of American writer Tom Perrotta, whose exemplary contributions to tennis were curtailed by his untimely death at the age of 44.

The Association of Tennis Professionals, The Women’s Tennis Association, The International Tennis Federation and The International Tennis Writers Association co-sponsor the award.

ITWA would like to thank all those who entered or were nominated and those who gave their time and expertise to judge the entries.