Cincinnati will be the third Masters 1,000 of the season for Carlos Alcaraz. The 18-year-old pearl from Murcia this Sunday won a place in the main draw of the last big event prior to the US Open (from August 30 to September 12). He did so with his victory against Belarusian Ilia Ivashka in the last match of the qualifying phase by 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 26 minutes. On Saturday he had already got rid of the Brazilian Monteiro.
This time he put the points on the i’s from the start, when he ran four games in a row with two breaks, conceding only three points on the way to his rival. Ivashka, 67th in the world, 27 years old, returned one of the breaks and stretched to 4-2, but Alcaraz, who would finish with a good 69% of firsts, raised a 0-40 afterwards to maintain his service and did not his pulse trembled when he served to win the set.
The second round started the same, with a break for El Palmar. Ivashka reacted again and took three games in a row. He would be on the verge of getting a break that he approaches the third set, but he wasted another break ball and Alcaraz did not forgive. Then came his break and with a partial 4-1 he sealed the ticket to the final phase.
In it, he joins other Spaniards who already had a safe place by ranking. They are the Olympic bronze Pablo Carreño, exempt from the first round, who will debut against the winner of the Millman-Struff next Tuesday; Roberto Bautista, who will start this Monday against Dimitrov; Albert Ramos, who will do the same against Fritz; and Alejandro Davidovich, who will face the Pole Hurkacz. Jaume Munar will not be on the same roster, who lost to Frenchman Gasquet, 53rd in the world, in the last round of the qualy (5-7, 6-4 and 6-4 in two hours and 40 minutes).