ATP

Top seed Alcaraz advances, Auger-Aliassime and Medvedev win epic three-setters

By Sports Desk March 15, 2023

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz moved into the Indian Wells Open quarter-finals after Jack Draper retired down 6-2 2-0 due to an abdominal injury in their last-16 clash on Tuesday.

Alcaraz was in control, winning the first set in 36 minutes before racing to a 2-0 lead inside 10 minutes before the Briton withdrew. Draper had battled the injury in the latter stages of Monday's win over Andy Murray.

Despite that, the Spaniard looked in good touch, setting up a quarter-final meeting with eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has a 3-0 head-to-head record against him.

"I felt the ball really well. I'm really happy with that part," Alcaraz said. "I would say I returned well, I hit great shots. I finished the match with confidence in my shots, to come into the next round with more confidence."

Auger-Aliassime saved six match points in a dramatic triumph over 17th seed Tommy Paul to reach the last eight, winning 3-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6) in two hours and 48 minutes.

The Canadian trailed 0-40 on serve at 5-6 in the deciding set before winning the next five points. He repeated that feat, down 3-6 in the tie-break, capitalising on his first match point. Auger-Aliassime hit 31 winners for the match, along with 51 unforced errors.

Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev fought back from a set down and a rolled ankle to progress past Alexander Zverev 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 in three hours and 10 minutes.

Medvedev rolled his ankle in the sixth game of the second set, going down in pain but played on, in his longest-ever three-set match. The victory is the Russian's 17th in a row. Zverev committed 50 unforced errors across the match.

The Russian will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the last eight, with the Spaniard winning 6-3 6-4 over Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin.

Jannik Sinner cruised past Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1 6-4 in one hour and 39 minutes to move into the last eight where he will face reigning champion Taylor Fritz. The American won 6-4 6-3 over Hungary's Martin Fucsovics in one hour and 41 minutes.

British 10th seed Cameron Norrie will play 14th seed Frances Tiafoe in the other quarter-final, with the former winning 6-2 6-4 over the higher-ranked Andrey Rublev. Tiafoe won 6-4 6-4 over Alejandro Tabilo in 83 minutes for his 150th career win.

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    Coco Gauff said her China Open triumph over Karolina Muchova came down to being relaxed.

    Gauff won 6-1 6-3 in just 76 minutes in Beijing to become the youngest winner of the tournament in 14 years.

    The victory marked the 20-year-old's second WTA 1000 title, which makes her the second-youngest player since the format was introduced to win her first two finals.

    And Gauff explained she took a more relaxed approach in Sunday's showdown.

    "I was just like, 'This match is not going to change my life.' I knew regardless of the result today, I was proud. I was able to overcome and still work on things that I've been practising on, too, and stick to it," she said.

    "When you get that far, you're just happy to be in the final. I think it's just being relaxed. My first final, when I was 15, was the worst because you're like, 'I'm never going to get this opportunity again,' which is completely not true.

    "The experience of winning in the past, I realise that, yes, winning is great. It feels great right now. But tomorrow I'm going to wake up and it's a different day, 70% of the world doesn't know anything about whether I won or lost, probably even more."

    Gauff has now claimed three straight wins over Muchova, who is yet to beat the American.

    "I lost to her three times in a row. I'll say very similar losses. It was always the latest rounds of the tournaments when I got many matches under the belt," said Muchova.

    "It's very physical with her. I felt like second [best] always in the rallies."

  • Alcaraz passes stern Wu test to progress in Shanghai Alcaraz passes stern Wu test to progress in Shanghai

    Carlos Alcaraz held his nerve against a spirited Wu Yibing to progress to the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters.

    Having already beaten another of the home favourites, Shang Juncheng, in his opener, the Spaniard had to dig deep but prevailed 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in one hour and 41 minutes on Sunday.

    There was nothing to split the two in the opening set, though Wu caused some real problems with his power, and successfully defended two break points in the ninth game.

    The tie-break was also tight, but Alcaraz found his edge at the right time, winning the last three points.

    Buoyed by the home crowd, Wu started the second set strongly too, but Alcaraz absorbed the pressure well and got the only break of the match in a three-game winning run.

    With his winning streak extended, Alcaraz will now face either Gael Monfils or Ugo Humbert in the next round.

    Data Debrief: Alcaraz marches on

    Alcaraz has put his shock US Open exit firmly behind him, with this his 11th win on the bounce since then. 

    He coped well with the early pressure Wu threw at him, and put in another solid performance, hitting 11 aces and winning 71% of his points at the net (5/7).

  • Gauff races to second title of 2024 with China Open cruise Gauff races to second title of 2024 with China Open cruise

    Coco Gauff claimed the China Open title in emphatic fashion on Sunday, bringing up her second WTA Tour trophy of the season.

    The world number six defeated US Open semi-finalist Karolina Muchova 6-1 6-3 in just 76 minutes to be crowned the youngest winner of the China Open in 14 years.

    Gauff swiftly broke the Czech's serve to propel herself into a 2-0 lead before going on to dominate the first set, which lasted only half-an-hour.

    Muchova looked to be surmounting a comeback in the second set, breaking immediately, but Gauff fought straight back, and the American broke Muchova once more to race to victory in Beijing.

    It was an impressive win against an opponent who had defeated world number two Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen en route to the final. Gauff played 24 winning shots but restricted the world number 49 to just 14.

    It marked Gauff's second WTA 1000 title, making her the second-youngest player since the format was introduced to win her first two finals, only older than Bianca Andreescu.

    Data Debrief: Gauff a proven winner

    Gauff, who was playing her 101st WTA 1000 match, is now the first player to win each of her first seven WTA hard-court finals in the Open Era.

    Her victory meant she became the second American player to win the women's singles title at the China Open after Serena Williams (in 2004 and 2013 since the inception of the tournament in 2004.

    Gauff has now defeated Muchova in all three meetings in WTA events, previously beating her at the US Open and Cincinnati Open in 2023.

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