CINCINNATI, Aug 18, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Carlos Alcaraz withstood a string of
frustrating rain delays to beat Tommy Paul 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (7/0) 6-3 on
Thursday, avenging a loss to the American last week and reaching the quarter-
finals of the ATP/WTA Cincinnati Open.

Paul was unable to repeat his sensational upset of the world number one from
last Friday in Toronto, where he stunned the Spaniard in the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz had squandered three match points 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.

But he 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.

"I really wanted to win after what happened against him last week.

Alcaraz is into his fifth Masters 1000 quarter-final this season and his 11th
overall. He improved to 21-3 in the elite series this season, standing 51-5
overall.

Alcaraz applied the pressure and brought out the best of his big game to tame
Paul in a contest first interrupted at 4-3 in the deciding set by the
weather.

The top seed came back from a break down four times in the first two sets,
but he couldn't put it away when he had three opportunities in the 12th game
of the second set.

The 15-minute game saw Paul launch his fightback. He then dominated the
tiebreaker, winning the last nine points of the set to square the contest
after two and a half hours.

A brief rain pause after the fifth game became a full-fledged suspension with
Alcaraz up a break and serving at 4-3.

A frustrating stop-start scenario saw the court dried and players warmed up
only for rain to start again.

"All of the starting and stopping was not easy," Alcaraz said. "I handled the
waiting well.

"I'm happy with my level and pleased to be in the quarter-finals. I feel my
game is getting better and better."

Alexander Zverev won a battle of former champions over third-seeded Daniil
Medvedev 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

The 16th-seeded German, who missed the second half of last season with a
serious ankle injury, won his eighth consecutive Cincinnati match dating to
his 2021 title run.

"It was such a difficult time for me last year," said Zverev, the recent
Hamburg clay champion. "I couldn't walk and couldn't play.

"It's moments like this that make it all so special."

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas also lost, 6-3, 6-4 to Poland's Hubert
Hurkacz.

- Swiatek advances -

In the WTA draw, world number one Iga Swiatek changed her dress after losing
the opening set and came back a new woman, defeating China's Zheng Qinwen 3-
6, 6-1, 6-1.

"My coach told me a few weeks ago it might be a good idea to change clothes
and reset," the Pole said.

"I tried it and it worked, I got a different vibe in the second set - thank
you, coach."

Swiatek, who has spent 72 weeks on the top WTA ranking, called out what she
termed "haters" on the internet who criticize her every time she loses a set.

"I feel it would be such a better place if we didn't judge each other so
quickly," she said. "The amount of hate and criticism that me and my team get
after even losing a set is just ridiculous."

Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova beat Sloane Stephens 7-5, 6-3 to reach
the quarter-finals of an event in which she was 0-3 in prior appearances.

"It has been really special this week. I came here not knowing how I would
play," she said. "It's such a pleasure to be back as Wimbledon champion."

Third-seeded Jessica Pegula, last week's Montreal winner, was defeated in a
match which concluded in light drizzle, losing 6-4, 6-0 to Marie Bouzkova.
Fourth seed Elena Rybakina joined number eight Maria Sakkari in exiting.

Rybakina, last year's Wimbledon champion retired at 6-4, 2-5 against Italian
qualifier Jasmine Paulini while Sakkari went down 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to Czech
Karolina Muchova.

Croatia's Donna Vekic was forced to retire with viral illness, handing a 5-2
decision to fifth seed and three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur.