World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz takes on qualifier Max Purcell in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open, an ATP 1000 Masters event, on Friday.
The clash is scheduled to be the third match on the Center Court on the sixth day of this year’s edition.
When and where to watch?
Top seed Alcaraz comes into the quarterfinal match after a tough three-set win over Tommy Paul, avenging last week’s loss to the American at Canadian Open. The 20-year-old Spaniard is the tour leader with 51 match wins.
Alcaraz is aiming for his seventh trophy of 2023 as he prepares for the US Open title defence within a fortnight.
Australia’s Purcell is playing in the quarterfinals of a Masters event for the first time and it has not been easy for him to reach this stage. He had to first beat French teenager Luca Van Assche and compatriot Alexei Popyrin - both in three sets - to make it past the qualifying round.
World No. 70 Purcell then defeated South Africa’s Lloyd Harris 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round before taking down fifth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to record the biggest win of his career.
A loss for Alcaraz could make the battle for No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings interesting as in that case, World No. 2 Novak Djokovic will only have to reach the final to go past the Spaniard.
Head-to-head record
This will be the first-ever meeting between Alcaraz and Purcell. The Spaniard has a 5-0 main draw win-loss record against Australians.
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