22 August,2023 07:47 AM IST | Cincinnati | AFP
Carlos Alcaraz (left) and Novak Djokovic with their trophies in Cincinnati on Sunday. Pics/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic needed five match points and nearly four hours to pull off a gritty victory over Carlos Alcaraz and claim a third ATP Cincinnati Open title on Sunday. A titanic struggle between the world's top two players saw Djokovic - who looked out on his feet in the second set - save a match point before coming through on his own fifth match point for a 5-7, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/4) triumph. "It's crazy, I don't know what I can say," said 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, who was seen by the doctors early in the second set for heat illness in a battle that lasted three hours and 44 minutes.
Coco Gauff after beating Karolina Muchova in the WTA final
"It's tough to describe. It was the toughest I've ever played in my life. From start to finish we both went through highs, lows, incredible points, bad games, heatstroke, comebacks. Overall, this was the toughest and most exciting match I've ever been a part of. It's matches like these that I continue to work for."
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It was another epic chapter to the budding rivalry between 20-year-old top-ranked Alcaraz and the 36-year-old Serb star, who avenged his loss to the Spaniard in a five-set Wimbledon final last month. The two - who have traded the No. 1 ranking six times this year - are now level on two wins apiece in their head-to-head rivalry.
Meanwhile, American teenager Coco Gauff beat Czech Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win the first WTA Masters-level title of her career at the Cincinnati Open. Gauff, who upset World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, became the first teenager to win three WTA titles in one year since Bianca Andreescu in 2019, adding the Cincinnati crown to her triumphs in Auckland and Washington.
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