By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday August 19, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz saved a match point and rallied past Hubert Hurkacz in Cincinnati to reach his fifth career Masters 1000 final.
Photo Source: Getty
Carlos Alcaraz had his back against the wall against hard-hitting Hubert Hurkacz on Saturday at the Cincinnati Masters, but the Spaniard never flinched and delivered a clutch, captivating three set victory to book his fifth Masters 1000 final.
Match point down while serving at 4-5 in the second set, Alcaraz was given a reprieve as Hurkacz missed a forehand wide of the tram lines. It was all the Spaniard needed to turn the contest on its ear. He held serve, got into a second set tiebreak, then won the final six points, erasing a 4-1 deficit to level the match at a set apiece.
In the third set Alcaraz capitalized on the momentum, breaking early for 3-1 and cruising to the victory 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory in two hours and 18 minutes.
Hurkacz saved each of the first ten break points he faced in the contest, but could not hold off Alcaraz in the final set, with the weight of his missed opportunity in set two pulling him down.
"It was a mental semi-final, I had to stay there," Alcaraz said in his on court-interview. "I had a lot of break points, it was really tough. Obviously saving a match point is never easy but with my coach, we were talking about staying positive all the time and to stay there. We knew I was going to have my chances and I tried to take it. Every match against Hubi is really, really tough but I'm really, really happy that I was able to win."
The triumph marks the fourth time that Alcaraz has saved match points en route to victory in his career, and the first time in 2023. On two of the previous occasions, at Barcelona and the US Open in 2022, he went on to win the title.
Will the third time be the trick as well?
Alcaraz will face either Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev in the final. Whether he wins or not the Spaniard has assured himself of holding the No.1 ranking at least until the end of the US Open.
More to follow…