A rain-affected second round at the 2023 Western and Southern Open is complete, and five of the top 10 seeds faltered.
First to exit was Andrey Rublev, who lost in three sets to Emil Ruusuvuori. Dusan Lajovic then took out the Toronto Champion Jannik Sinner to record his 4th top-10 win of the season.
The Aussie Max Purcell bagged another upset by knocking out Casper Ruud in three sets, while his fellow Scandinavian Holger Rune retired after losing the first set to Mackie McDonald.
Stan Wawrinka then put in a high-quality performance to take out 10th seed Tiafoe, crushing the ball off both wings and hitting some incredible backhands.
You can see the complete list of results below.
Western and Southern Open 2023 Round of 32 Results
Winner
Loser
Scoreline
Carlos Alcaraz (1)
Jordan Thompson
7-5 4-6 6-3
Novak Djokovic (2)
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
6-4 (RET)
Daniil Medvedev (3)
Lorenzo Musetti
6-3 6-2
Stefanos Tsitsipas (4)
Ben Shelton
7-6(3) 7-6(2)
Max Purcell (Q)
Casper Ruud (5)
6-4 3-6 6-4
Mackenzie McDonald (WC)
Holger Rune (6)
6-4 2-0 (RET)
Emil Ruusuvuori
Andrey Rublev (7)
7-6(10) 5-7 7-6(3)
Dusan Lajovic (Q)
Jannik Sinner (8)
6-4 7-6(4)
Taylor Fritz (9)
Lorenzo Sonego
6-4 7-6(1)
Stan Wawrinka (W)
Frances Tiafoe (10)
6-3 6-4
Adrian Mannarino
Felix Auger-Aliassime (12)
6-4 6-4
Tommy Paul (14)
Ugo Humbert
6-1 7-6(4)
Hubert Hurkacz
Borna Coric (15)
5-7 6-3 6-3
Alexander Zverev (16)
Yoshihito Nishioka
7-5 6-4
Gael Monfils (PR)
Alex de Minaur
7-5 6-4
Alexei Popyrin (LL)
Nicolas Jarry
(W/O)
Alcaraz Wins 50th Match of the Season
Carlos Alcaraz notched up his 50th win of 2023 with a laboured 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Jordan Thompson.
In a rain-interrupted match, the top seed struggled to find his best level, having to recover from 2-5 in the first set and dropping the second set to the attacking Thompson.
However, he found his level as the match wore on, and he needed to make the final to hang onto his number 1 spot.
It wasn’t an easy match but I found my best level at the end. We were waiting around all day to play the match and then when you step on the court you have to start with the rain, so it wasn’t easy. But you have to find a way to win these matches in this type of situation. Alcaraz on his rain affected win.
Ruusuvuori Rolls Rublev
Andrey Rublev hasn’t made the best start at the US Open series and fell at the first hurdle in Cincy to Emil Ruusuvuori.
Despite hitting 71 unforced errors (as per TennisTV, the ATP site only counts 25), the Fin came through 7-6(10), 5-7, 7-6(3) in a three-hour, 16-minute battle.
Highlights
Vintage Wawrinka Outguns Tiafoe
Stan Wawrinka put in his best performance of 2023 with a high-quality display against Frances Tiafeo.
Wawrinka made the final in Umag in July to find some form. His first outing on North American hardcourts was highly impressive, his trademark backhand delivering brilliance to prevent Tiafoe from getting a foothold in the match.
It’s been probably the best match of the season, I think the most complete match, I was feeling good, moving well, serving well, being aggressive, staying with him, fighting. I’m super happy and hopefully I can keep playing that well. Wawrinka on his win over Tiafoe.
Lajovic Sinks Sinner
Dusan Lajovic picked up his 4th top-10 victory of 2023 to see off last week’s Toronto Champion, Jannik Sinner, 6-4, 7-6(4).
Lajovic has had an impressive season, winning the title in Banja Luka, and he’s now back in form after chicken pox disrupted his French Open and grass court season.
As I predicted, winning a Masters 1000 typically results in an immediate letdown a week later. Sinner suffered the same fate as many before him as he struggled to make an impression, Lajovic erasing all five break points he faced and playing solidly all around.
I obviously knew that it was going to be tough because whenever you are playing somebody who is in great form and has a lot of confidence, they play well in the important moments.
You could see that, he was saving so many break points and everything when it was close, he was there. I knew I had been serving very well the past couple of days, so I thought if I continue to use my serve, both with the flat and the kick out wide, I could dominate the point after the serve.
This is what I did most of the time in my service games… I was happy to finish in two sets because I know that going three sets against these kinds of players, it’s always going to be much tougher.
I’ve started changing a lot of things about me. This year I started doing a lot of mental health training, with a therapist and everything, and I started to change some things about myself, which is always hard and especially when you are over 30. We are very established as what we are [at that age], so changing takes great effort, but it started working.
I started playing this season really well. I had unfortunate timing with chicken pox, which I got in Paris and was out until Wimbledon, and it took me a couple more weeks to get back on track. Now I’m finally back where I was before Lajovic on his win vs Sinner and wider success in 2023.
Other Matches of Note
Auger-Aliassime’s Success Shortlived: Felix won his first match since May in the first round, but he was no match for Adrian Mannarino, who dispatched him 6-4 6-4, indicating that the win was more about Berrettini’s dreadful form than his level returning.
Fokina Retires Against Djokovic: Novak’s first outing since Wimbledon only lasted a set as Fokina retired with a lower back problem after dropping the first set. Not much to glean, but Djokovic looked solid from the baseline after a scrappy start.
Medvedev Too Strong for Musetti: Another comfortable win for Meddy against the Italian after beating him a week earlier in Toronto.
Hurkacz Ends Coric Title Defence: The Pole came through 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 to knock out last year’s champion.
Rune Retires vs McDonald: Following Davidovich-Fokina’s footsteps, Holger Rune also retired with a lower back injury against Mackie McDonald after dropping the first set.
Purcell Upsets Ruud: The Aussie bagged his first Masters 1000 win in Toronto vs FAA, and he backed that up in Toronto, proving too tricky for Casper Ruud to master.
Tsitsipas Sees Off Shelton: The Greek came through two tie breaks in a close encounter with Ben Shelton where neither man faced a break point.
Cincinnati Masters 2024 Round of 16 Matches
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Tommy Paul (14)
Stan Wawrinka (WC) vs Max Purcell (Q)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (4) vs Hubert Hurkacz
Alexie Popryin (LL) vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Mackenzie McDonald vs Adrian Mannarino
Alexander Zverev (16) vs Daniil Medvedev (3)
Dusan Lajovic (Q) vs Taylor Fritz (9)
Gael Monfils (PR) vs Novak Djokovic (2)
Who do you see going all the in Cincinnati? Let me know in the comments.