Djokovic wins the Cincinnati Open and experiences Alcaraz for the first time in a month.
Novak Djokovic (No. 2-Serbia) won his third meeting of the year with Carlos Alcaraz (No. 1-Spain) to become the men’s singles champion at the Cincinnati Open on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour ($6.6 million total prize fund).
Djokovic defeated Alcaraz 2-1 (5-7, 7-6<9-7> 7-6<7-4>) in a three-hour, 49-minute battle in the men’s singles final on the final day of the tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, on Tuesday.
It was Djokovic’s first win in over a month after losing to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon singles final last month.
He also evened his all-time head-to-head record with Alcaraz at 2-2.
Djokovic lost to Alcaraz in the semifinals of last year’s Madrid Open and this year’s Wimbledon final before winning in the semifinals of this year’s French Open.
Djokovic and Alcaraz will be back in contention for the title at the final major of the year, the U.S. Open, which begins on Aug. 28.
This is Djokovic’s third career Cincinnati Open title, having previously won the event in 2018 and 2020.
At 36, he also became the tournament’s oldest champion.
Djokovic also won his 95th tour event, moving him into sole possession of third place on the career wins list, ahead of Ivan Lendl (USA).
Jimmy Connors (109 titles, USA) and Roger Federer (103 titles, Switzerland) are first and second on the list.
Djokovic won the title on his return to the United States after a two-year absence.
He didn’t step foot on American soil last year because he hadn’t been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
When U.S. health officials changed their quarantine policy in May to allow foreigners without a COVID-19 vaccine to enter the country, Djokovic was able to compete in U.S. events, and the Cincinnati Open was his first tournament on American soil.
The match went to tiebreaks on two occasions.
Djokovic had several chances to close out the match on his own service game in the third set with a 5-4 lead, but Alcaraz saved four deuces to take the game point.
In the tiebreak, Djokovic’s victory was sealed when Alcaraz failed to return his final serve properly.
Djokovic lay on the court, gasping for air, while Alcaraz sat on the bench and broke down in tears.
“It was the toughest match of my life,” Djokovic said at the ceremony, adding, “Alcaraz is an amazing player. I really admire him, it’s impressive that such a young player doesn’t lose his composure in important moments.”
“I’ve learned a lot from the champion,” said Alcaraz, adding, “It’s amazing to learn from playing on the same court with you.”
In the women’s event ($2,788,468 in prize money), Corey Goff (No. 7-ranked USA) won the title with a 2-0 (6-3, 6-4) victory over Karolina Muhova (No. 17-ranked Czech Republic).
The 19-year-old Goff, born in March 2004, won her first career Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 Series title.
It is the first time in 55 years that a teenager has won the Cincinnati Open, 카지노사이트넷 since Lindsay Tuero won the title in 1968 at the age of 17.