World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz takes on Tommy Paul in the round of 16 of the Cincinnati Open, an ATP 1000 Masters event, on Thursday.
The clash, a rematch of last week’s Canadian Open quarterfinal where Paul defeated the Spaniard, is scheduled to be the third match on the Center Court on the fifth day of this year’s edition.
When and where to watch?
Top seed Alcaraz comes into the third-round match after a less than convincing 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Australian qualifier Jordan Thompson, his 50th match win on the ATP Tour this season. Lately, the 20-year-old Spaniard has struggled to start the matches on a positive note, putting more pressure on himself.
Alcaraz is aiming for his seventh trophy of 2023 as he prepares for the US Open title defence within a fortnight.
USA’s Paul, seeded 14th, has reached the round of 16 after straight-sets wins over Miomir Kecmanovic and Ugo Humbert in his first two matches. The American is high on confidence after a great run to the semifinals in Toronto last week and is capable of upsetting the Spaniard again.
Paul can become the first player to beat the World No. 1 in consecutive weeks since Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the finals of Madrid Masters and Italian Open in 2011.
Head-to-head record
Played: 3 | Alcaraz: 1 | Paul: 2
Alcaraz and Paul have faced each other three times on the ATP Tour with their latest duel being the Canadian Open quarterfinal. Their first meeting took place at the same event last year, albeit in Montreal, where Paul triumphed 6-7(4), 7-6(7), 6-3 in a second-round contest that lasted three hours and 20 minutes. Their second battle happened in the round of 16 in Miami Open this year where the Spaniard won 6-4, 6-4.
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