Tag Archives: Rome Masters

Carlos Alcaraz Claims Cincinnati Open Title After Jannik Sinner Retires in First Set

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Carlos Alcaraz didn’t have to break much of a sweat to claim the Cincinnati Open title.

The 22-year-old Spanish tennis star claimed the title in just over 20 minutes on Monday after top-ranked Jannik Sinner was forced to retire due to illness during the first set.

Carlos AlcarazMeeting in the final for the fourth time this year and first since Wimbledon, Sinner fell behind 5-0 in the first set with nine unforced errors. He was seen with an icepack on his head during a break and retired after playing only 22 minutes.

“Didn’t feel great from yesterday,” Sinner said. “Also, during the night, I thought I would recover a bit better, but it was not the case. I just tried to go out for the fans, trying to give a match. But it was not meant to be for me today.”

It was only the third time the Cincinnati Open men’s final ended in a retirement, and the first since 2011 when Novak Djokovic stopped playing in the second set because of a shoulder injury.

“Wanted to wish Jannik a speedy recovery and in a few days, hopefully he’s going to be OK,” Alcaraz said. “For myself, I am really, really happy to lift the trophy. I lost the final here in 2023. I wanted really badly this trophy.”

Sinner, who turned 24 on Saturday, was on a 12-match winning streak and had won 26 straight matches on hard courts. He was bidding to become the first player to win back-to-back men’s Cincinnati Open titles since Roger Federer in 2014 and ’15.

Alcaraz, who is ranked No. 2, now holds a 9-5 advantage in his matchups with Sinner.

This year, Sinner won in four sets at Wimbledon, and Alcaraz won a five-set thriller at the French Open and in straight sets at the Rome Masters in May.

Another classic matchup wasn’t to be Monday. Sinner received medical attention after having his serve broken for the third time and retired moments later.

“After the third game, I just noticed that he wasn’t feeling good,” Alcaraz said. “I know him. I’ve been battling against him, having great matches, great battles. I noticed he was missing more often. It’s pretty weird from him.”

It was only the third time the top two men’s players have met in the Cincinnati Open final, the previous times were No. 2 Djokovic and No. 1 Alcaraz in 2022 and No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Djokovic in 2012.

The Cincinnati Open is considered a tuneup for the U.S. Open, which begins Sunday in New York. The past two years, both the men’s and women’s Cincinnati Open champions went on to win the final Grand Slam tournament of the year.

Nadal to Face Roger Federer in the Swiss Indoors Final

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Rafael Nadal is set to face Roger Federer in a title match for the first time since May 2013.

The 29-year-old Spanish superstar advanced to the Swiss Indoors final on Saturday after beating Richard Gasquet of France 6-4, 7-6 (7).

Rafael Nadal

Nadal played his best tennis of the week to set up his match against Federer, who eased to a 6-3, 6-4 win in 64 minutes against unseeded Jack Sock of the United States in the semifinals.

Almost 2½ years after Nadal beat Federer in two sets for the Rome Masters title, the 34th matchup of their careers will come at Federer’s hometown event.

“I have played against Roger hundreds of times around the world,” said Nadal, who has a 23-10 hold over his old rival. “In Madrid a couple of times in finals, but I have never played him in his home.”

Outside of finals, their last competitive meeting was in January 2014, when Nadal won an Australian Open semifinal in three straight sets.

After three straight three-set matches at Basel, Nadal finally got a more straightforward win.

Nadal overcame dropping his serve in the opening game of each set and saved two set points for the fifth-seeded Gasquet in the tiebreaker. He clinched the victory on his second match point when Gasquet sent a backhand wide.

Nadal seemed in trouble trailing 4-3 in the first set when he called for the trainer at a changeover.

Returning with tape below his right knee, Nadal quickly turned the match around and broke Gasquet’s serve twice to take the first set, clinching it with a fierce forehand topspin passing shot.

“I had one scary moment but then it’s fine,” Nadal said. “I am happy with the way the knee answers after that.”

Again, Nadal struggled on serve to start the second set, though Gasquet needed seven break-point chances before finding a winner in an exchange of volleys at the net. Nadal leveled when Gasquet served for the set leading 5-4.

Nadal suggested Federer would start as the favorite Sunday with a better record on indoor hard courts.

“I don’t have the ideal opponent to win again, but I won on grass [against Federer] after a couple of years without winning,” said the two-time Wimbledon champion.

Nadal Defeats Tomas Berdych to Reach Rome Masters Men’s Final

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Rafael Nadal continues to shine in his post-injury return to competitive tennis…

The 26-year-old Spanish tennis superstar produced some of his best tennis at the Rome Masters on Saturday to earn his place in the finals.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal started the semi-final match on fire and finished strong to claim a 6-2, 6-4 win over Tomas Berdych.

In Sunday’s final, the six-time Rome champion will play his archrival Roger Federer, who defeated surprise semifinalist Benoit Paire of France 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in the night match.

Nadal was in absolute peak form in the first set, seizing control of almost every point with deep, accurate and heavily spun ground strokes.

And on the rare occasion when Berdych dictated play, the world No. 5 typically won the point anyway with  impressive defensive gems.

The second set was more evenly matched, but Berdych’s fate was virtually sealed when he lost his serve in the ninth game, and he was unable to mount a miracle comeback like the one he pulled off in Friday’s quarterfinals against world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“I played at a high level and everything went well with no mistakes. I was dominating the points and following to the net. I think I played one of my best matches since I am came back” Nadal said in a post-match interview, referring to his long injury layoff from July 2012 until early this year.

Nadal has made a miraculous return to the ATP Tour since recovering from a knee injury, reaching eight straight finals dating back to a small clay-court tournament in Viña del Mar, Chile, in February.

Nadal and Federer have played 29 times, with Nadal holding a 19-10 advantage. Sunday’s final will be their 15th meeting on clay, with Nadal holding a 12-2 advantage on his favorite surface.

Nadal can move up to No. 4 in the rankings – and avoid a possible quarterfinal matchup at the French Open against either Djokovic, Federer or Andy Murray – if he wins Sunday’s final, which will be the best of three sets.