Novak Djokovic survives world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, wins Western & Southern Open in three-set thriller and takes revenge for Wimbledon final
- Alcaraz had recently defeated Djokovic last month to win the final at Wimbledon
- The players battled intense heat and humidity during the game in Cincinatti
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Novak Djokovic overcame a match point and intense heat to beat world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz 5-7 7-6(7) 7-6(4) to win the Western & Southern open in a heart-stopping match at Sunday.
Djokovic fell onto his back before tearing his shirt off after taking victory in the nearly four-hour match to win his third title in Cincinnati and seek revenge after his loss to the Spaniard in last month’s Wimbledon final.
The Serb seemed hampered by the intense humidity in the end of the first set as he barely moved as Alcaraz hit a backhand winner to take the opener.
Alcaraz looked fresh despite being on the field for over 10 hours this week and took a 4-2 lead in the second set as it looked like he was going to finish.
But Alcaraz would produce a terrible service game while leading 4-3, including four unforced errors to give the world No. 2 a lifeline.
Novak Djokovic ripped open his shirt on Sunday after beating Carlos Alcaraz in three sets
The Serbian star defeated Spaniard Alcaraz 5-7 7-6(7) 7-6(4) in the Western & Southern
Alcaraz took a 4-2 lead in the second set and produced a terrible service game
In the second set tiebreak, Djokovic saved a championship point and forced a deciding set after winning a rally by 25 shots.
During the break for the third set, a frustrated Alcaraz slammed his hand against the plastic drink container next to his seat, requiring a medical timeout to tape his finger.
In the decider, Djokovic broke into a 4-3 lead on his fifth chance of the match.
The drama would continue as Djokovic squandered two match points as he returned with a 5-3 lead.
Alcaraz would save two more match points and break serve as Djokovic missed an overhead for 5-5.
The players eventually settled for another tiebreak, which Djokovic won when the 20-year-old’s forehand return went wide.
The win was Djokovic’s 95th career title and 39th Masters 1000 crown.