After an hour and 20 minutes into that epic evening in Ohio for the Cincinnati Open final, Carlos Alcaraz further fueled the idea that the proverbial torch has been passed on. Standing a set and a break up in the blockbuster clash against Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz needed only holds more to script a repeat of the Wimbledon final and head to US Open with the best-possible preparation ever.
But as the sun began to set on the horizon, Djokovic began to bounce back from the heat exhaustion in Cincinnati which had caused him "almost a heatstroke". Capitalising a few loose points from the world No. 1, the Serb broke back at 4-4 and then fended off a championship point at 6/7 in the tie-break to take the match to a deciding third. Djokovic then edged past Alcaraz with an early lead in the final set, converting on his seventh break point of the set to lead 4-3. If it wasn't yet over. The 36-year-old suddenly dropped his level as he served for the trophy allowing Alcaraz to sneak back in after saving four championship points himself. But a gutsy display of tennis in the tie-break allowed Djokovic to claim his record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 crown.
It was a night tennis world expected and two gave a night to remember. Battling through the ups and downs in the match and the brutal Cincinnati heat, the two produced their best tennis since that evening in London last week when Alcaraz had defeated Djokovic in a five-set thriller to claim his maiden Wimbledon title.
ALSO READ: Watch: Djokovic makes subtle Rafael Nadal remark in incredible Alcaraz exchange after third Cincinnati Open title win
{{/usCountry}}It was a night tennis world expected and two gave a night to remember. Battling through the ups and downs in the match and the brutal Cincinnati heat, the two produced their best tennis since that evening in London last week when Alcaraz had defeated Djokovic in a five-set thriller to claim his maiden Wimbledon title.
ALSO READ: Watch: Djokovic makes subtle Rafael Nadal remark in incredible Alcaraz exchange after third Cincinnati Open title win
{{/usCountry}}After the intense three hours and 49 minutes battle at the Linder Family Tennis Centre on Sunday, Djokovic made a grand "US Open" remark to Alcaraz and the Spaniard responded in a stunning fashion.
"It did feel like a Grand Slam final. Even more than that. Every match that we play against each other goes the distance, I’m hoping we can play in some weeks time in New York, that would be nice," said the world No. 2, quickly adding: "For the crowd, I don’t know about me."
Alcaraz's reply echoed the thoughts of tennis fans across the globe as he said: "I hope so!"
US Open 2023 to break the H2H tie?
The freshly-brewing Alcaraz-Djokovic rivalry now stands poised at 2-2. Alcaraz had won their first meeting in 2022 Madrid Open semis before Djokovic levelled the score in the French Open semifinal in June this year where the Spaniard had suffered from cramps. The 20-year-old then took the lead to a phenomenal title haul at the SW19 a month later before Djokovic avenged his loss in Cincinnati.
With the next big event being the US Open, starting August 31 at the Big Apple, there couldn't be a better stage to break the tie. And with the pair being guaranteed at the top-two seeds at the US Open next month, the blockbuster clash could only be at the final.