The greatest challenge for Carlos Alcaraz in his third-round match at the Cincinnati Open was simply remaining sane. Before Alcaraz and Hamad Medjedovic, his opponent, took to the court, they had no choice but to wait as Francisco Comesaña and the big-serving Reilly Opelka worked through a tumultuous three-hour, three-set contest full of manic momentum shifts, medical time-outs and a last-minute rain delay for good measure. Alcaraz and Medjedovic had no idea when their match would begin, yet a large part of their job is making sure they are always ready.
A few hours later, after closing out a straightforward victory, Alcaraz chuckled bitterly from a quiet hallway inside Center Court as he reflected on his hours of preparation, which turned out to be more stressful than the match itself. “Well, it sucks,” he said, smiling. “Having to warm up three, four times, it’s horrible. A horrible thing. I thought having Opelka in front of me was going to be a little bit faster. I didn’t expect a three‑hour match.”
