Second seed triumphs 6-4, 6-4 against world No 72
Spaniard will play Luca Nardi after Jakub Mensik retires
The men’s second seed Carlos Alcaraz continued to rebuild his on-court momentum and rhythm after a brief summer break by defeating the talented young Serbian Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open.
The victory was a positive step for Alcaraz after a rusty performance in his opener against Damir Dzumhur on Sunday, where he won a turbulent three-set contest in his first match since losing the Wimbledon final against Jannik Sinner.
Instead of immediately focusing on the North American hard court swing, with the Canadian Open in Toronto starting two weeks after Wimbledon, Alcaraz took some time off. He took a week off from practice and holidayed in El Puerto de Santa Maria, in southern Spain, before two weeks training at home in El Palmar, Murcia.
