Carlos Alcaraz is gradually increasing his level of performance as he pursues his first title at the Cincinnati Open.
The Spaniard arrived in Ohio for his first tournament since losing the Wimbledon final to Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz needed three sets to beat Damir Džumhur in his opening match, but he looked stronger against Hamad Medjedovic, who he defeated 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old produced his best match so far against Luca Nardi, as Carlos Alcaraz sailed into the Cincinnati quarter-finals for the loss of just five games.
Photo by Mohammed Saad/Anadolu via Getty ImagesCarlos Alcaraz joins Rafael Nadal as one of only three players to win 14 Masters 1000 matches in a row aged 23 and under
At the Cincinnati Open, Alcaraz played Nardi for the second time on the ATP Tour.
Their first meeting in Doha back in February went to three sets with Alcaraz winning in three sets, but the world number two was far more convincing on the hard courts in Ohio.
Alcaraz won 13 of the first 14 points in the opening set and dropped just one game as he wrapped it up in just 27 minutes.
Nardi opened up a 4-2 lead in the second set, but Alcaraz recovered from a slow start to win four successive games to seal a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
This is Alcaraz’s 14th successive win at Masters 1000 level and he joins Rafael Nadal and Pete Sampras as the only players to have achieved this feat aged 23 or under.
Alcaraz has advanced to the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals where he will face Russia’s Andrey Rublev for a spot in the last four.
Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/Getty ImagesCarlos Alcaraz says he played his ‘best match yet’ at the Cincinnati Open
Alcaraz took just 80 minutes to defeat Nardi at the Cincinnati Open.
Despite the delayed start to his match due to the wet weather, the five-time Grand Slam champion had little trouble booking his spot in the next round.
After a slow start to the tournament, Alcaraz is now hitting his stride and he was pleased with his latest display.
“I think this match was the best so far for me in this tournament,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview after beating Nardi.
“At the beginning of the tournament, I just really wanted to get better every day, after every practice and every match.
“I think I’m doing it, which I’m really proud about. I’m just really happy with the way I felt the ball today and the way that I moved.”