Alcaraz beats Medjedovic as Cincinnati washout leaves Zverev and Pegula stranded mid-match

Carlos Alcaraz beat Hamad Medjedovic 6-4 6-4 to reach the Cincinnati Open last 16 on Tuesday, battling the sweltering Ohio heat to notch a tour-leading 50th victory of the season before the evening session was suspended due to rain.

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The Spanish second seed also secured his 13th consecutive win at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, converting three of seven break points in a deliberate, slow-paced contest.

Treated for neck pain after the first set, Serbia’s Medjedovic ramped up in the second to shorten rallies, outhitting Alcaraz 25-16 on winners but committing 38 unforced errors to the Spaniard’s 18.

"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."

Monte Carlo and Rome champion Alcaraz next faces Italian Luca Nardi as he continues his bid for an eight Masters 1000 title.

Earlier, Andrey Rublev rallied from a set down to edge Alexei Popyrin 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 7-5 in a fierce 3-1/2-hour battle.

The Russian ninth seed will play against Argentine Franciso Comesana, who claimed a stunning 6-7(4) 6-4 7-5 win over American Reilly Opelka.