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The number-two in the ATP Rankings eased past Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in testing conditions at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Alcaraz kept his cool in the Ohio heat to notch a tour-leading 50th victory of 2025 and his 13th consecutive Masters 1000 win.

“I know he’s a really powerful player,” Alcaraz said. “His shots are incredibly hard to return. He has a big serve also. I know he doesn’t like to run too much from side to side, so my plan was to make him run as much as I could.

"It was difficult because his ball flies and it comes really fast, but I’m just glad that I did it most of the time, tried to defend in a good way. I’m just really happy to get the win.”

The opening stages of the pair’s maiden clash were hard fought. The momentum then shifted clearly toward the Spaniard, however, with Medjedovic serving at 3-3. The Serbian saved three break points, but the pressure told on the fourth, when he produced a double fault to hand his opponent a breakthrough.

Medjedovic received treatment from the physio for neck pain at the end of the first set and played aggressively in the second set to try and shorten the rallies in the heat. Although he was able to reclaim a break for 3-3 and ultimately out-hit Alcaraz by 25 winners to 16 overall, that approach proved too inconsistent to overcome the Spaniard.

The Serbian netted consecutive drop shots to gift Alcaraz another break for 4-3, and this time the Spaniard did not let slip his lead. He completed his 95-minute win, having converted three of seven break points he earned.

Having already lifted titles in Monte-Carlo and Rome in his current Masters 1000 winning streak, Alcaraz will take on Luca Nardi next in Cincinnati as he chases his eighth trophy at that level. Italian lucky loser Nardi led 16th seed Jakub Mensik 6-2, 2-1 when the Czech retired from the pair’s fourth-round clash.

Having both qualified for the ATP Finals, Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz will compete in a thrilling battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 honours presented by PIF over the remaining months of the year. Alcaraz currently holds a 1,500-point lead over Sinner in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

In other action, ninth seed Andrey Rublev remains alive in Alcaraz’s quarter of the draw after pulling through a three-hour, 30-minute marathon against 21st seed Alexei Popyrin under the Cincinnati sun. 

Rublev prevailed 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5.