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Carlos Alcaraz secured his 50th victory of the season in Cincinnati, beating Jordan Thompson 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 after a massive battle. The Spaniard raised his level in the final set, serving well and breaking his opponent two times for a place in the third round.
The rain interrupted the match for 20 minutes in the opener's third game, and Carlos joined the crowd and embraced the Mexican wave. World no. 1 experienced three breaks of serve and notched five return games from 17 return chances.
Jordan fought well, firing 29 unreturned serves and rushing to the net over 50 times. The Aussie forced a decider but lost steam in the final part to propel the rival through. Thompson fended off four break points in the encounter's third game held after a rain delay.
The lower-ranked player grabbed a break at 3-2 with a running forehand winner to build the advantage. The seventh game saw numerous deuces and five break points for the Spaniard.
Carlos Alcaraz interacted with the crowd during the rain delay in Cincinnati.
Carlos converted the last one when Jordan netted a routine forehand, pulling the break back and gaining a boost.
They served well in the next three games, locking up the result at 5-5. Alcaraz pushed strong on the return in the 11th game, erasing the rival's game points and seizing the third break opportunity after Thompson's loose forehand.
The Spaniard served for the opener at 6-5 and faced a break point, offering the Aussie a chance to reach a tie break. Alcaraz denied it with a service winner and landed another to wrap up the set 7-5 after an hour and 40 minutes due to rain delays.
Jordan served well at the start of the second set and kept the pressure on Carlos. The Aussie broke at 15 in the sixth game and fired a service winner in the next one to forge a 5-2 advantage and gain a boost. Alcaraz pulled the break back at the last moment in the ninth game and served at 4-5, looking good to seal the deal in straight sets.
However, he lost serve again in the tenth game after a loose forehand to hand the set to his rival and introduce a decider. Carlos raised his level again, barely losing a point in his games and keeping the pressure on the other side.
Jordan lost serve in the first game after a wild forehand, chasing the result right from the start and struggling to make an impact on the return. Carlos returned at 5-3 and secured another break to emerge at the top and advance into the third round.