Cincinnati Masters: Alcaraz starts campaign with hard-fought win

Cincinnati [US], August 11 : Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz had a tough, well-fought first-round outing against world number 56 Damir Dzumhur in the Cincinnati Open on Sunday, but he nonetheless made it to the second round of the competition.

Alcaraz was pushed to his limits, secured a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory in a contest which started off with a lightning-fast tempo but slowed down. Aclaraz raced through the first set within just 28 minutes, but lost the next set as the errors crept in his game and intensity dipped. Alcaraz managed to regroup himself for the crucial decider, clutching with another great performance just when it was needed to close out the match in an hour and 41 minutes.

Following the match, Alcaraz said as quoted by ATP's official website, "It was just a rollercoaster. Lots of good feelings, bad feelings, back to the good ones. All I can say is I am happy to get the win at the end and just have another chance to be better. I will try tomorrow to have my confidence back because today it was a little bit tricky. Damir plays really smart tennis, which I have to be focused and ready for that. I have a rest day tomorrrow, to give myself the confidence back and hopefully be better in the next round."

The Spaniard is on a 12-match win streak in ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, but would be extremely concerned by his second set play. Alcaraz committed 44 unforced errors and could not save any of the three break points he faced.

"Here it is difficult to play such great tennis. The ball flies a lot, goes super fast. You have to be ready to be in a good position for each shot and that is really difficult to do. You have to know there will be a few points and games in the match when you would not feel good, so you have to maintain the positive thoughts in the right way... It is a relief to get the win," he added.

Alcaraz was competing for the first time since his loss in the Wimbledon final to Sinner. With both having qualified for the ATP Finals, Sinner and Alcaraz will continue their battle for the year-end number one honours. Alcaraz currently holds a 1,500-point lead over Sinner in the ATP Live Race To Turin.

The world number two has clinched tour-leading five titles this year, including Masters 1000 titles in Monte Carlo and Rome.

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