Djokovic dominates Monfils in Cincinnati, Alcaraz outlasts Paul

Saturday, 19 August 2023 00:53 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Gael Monfils (left) shakes hands with Novak Djokovic - AFP

CINCINNATI (AFP): Novak Djokovic extended his career-long domination of Gael Monfils with a 6-3, 6-2 victory on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open.

The Serb second seed, a two-time winner in Cincinnati, won his 19th match against the French showman without a defeat.

He needed just 69 minutes to follow top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz into the last eight, the Spaniard withstanding a string of frustrating rain delays to beat Tommy Paul 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (7/0) 6-3 and avenge a loss to the American last week.

Djokovic applied the pressure early against Monfils in the battle of 36-year-old veterans, denying the number 211 his first last-eight place here since 2011.

Djokovic will next take on American Taylor Fritz, who advanced after Dusan Lajovic retired with a toe injury trailing 5-0.

Things weren’t quite so easy for Alcaraz against a player who had stunned him in the quarter-finals at Toronto last week.

Alcaraz had squandered three match points against Paul before the first of a string of rain delays that forced players off and on the court in a logistics ballet that finally ended after more than three hours.

The Spaniard held on to book a quarter-final meeting with Australian Max Purcell, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Swiss Stan Wawrinka.

After the final rain pause, Alcaraz, up a break in the third, came out and finished off the final few points, advancing with 40 winners and 61 unforced errors.

There was disappointment however, for third-seeded Daniil Medvedev and fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Alexander Zverev beat Medvedev 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a battle of former champions while Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz beat Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4.