CINCINNATI: Carlos Alcaraz fought through a second-set slump to post a “rollercoaster” 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match on Sunday at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open.

The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, raced through the first set but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian.

Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down his errors in the third as a seventh ace took him to a match point that was converted when Dzumhur fired wide.

“It was just a rollercoaster,” said the second seed, who was winning his 12th straight match at the Masters 1000 level after taking the titles in Monte Carlo and Rome.

“Lots of good feelings, bad feelings, back to the good ones. I am happy to get the win at the end. I know that I have chances to do better.”

Alcaraz committed 44 unforced errors and said conditions in Cincinnati, where he was runner-up in 2023, were always tricky.

“The ball flies a lot, goes super fast,” he said. “You have to be ready to be in a good position for each shot and that is really difficult to do.”

Third seed Alexander Zverev found things more straightforward, winning 6-3, 6-3 against US wild card Nishesh Basavareddy in the night session.

Zverev needed just 66 minutes to get past Basavareddy, a 20-year-old ranked 109th in the world.

The German put 41 of his 50 first serves in play and didn’t face a break point. Basavareddy saved one match point with a blistering service return but Zverev secured the win with his 12th ace.

He will meet American Brandon Nakashima in the third round.

American Ben Shelton, coming off his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto, eased through 6-3, 3-1 when Camilo Ugo Carabelli retired with a knee injury.

Shelton’s early night was a boon after a draining Toronto tournament which only ended on Thursday night.

“It’s not easy to play a couple of days after winning any title,” Shelton said. “I feel for Camilo and it’s obviously not the way that you want to go through. I hope that he has a quick recovery.”

Asked about the tape on his own right thigh, Shelton said he has “a few muscle things” going on.

“The legs take a lot of force,” he said.

Sixth seed Alex de Minaur of Australia, the Washington champion, lost to American Reilly Opelka 7-6(8/6), 6-4.

But another Australian, Adam Walton, secured a first top-50 win of his career with a 6-7(0/7), 6-4, 6-1 upset of former world number one and 2019 Cincy champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

GAUFF BATTLES THROUGH

In the women’s draw, French Open champion Coco Gauff battled through a tough first set to beat China’s Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2.

Gauff, who lifted the trophy in Cincinnati in 2023 and went on to claim her first Grand Slam title at the US Open that year, had to grind her way through the first set.

But the number two seed steadied in the second to run out the winner in 71 minutes.

“It was a rough start,” Gauff, who next face Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, said. “But it was about just trusting myself and the work we’ve done in practice.”

Third seed Jessica Pegula, runner-up last year to Aryna Sabalenka, defeated Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3.

Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, finalist last season at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, also advanced, beating Maria Sakkari of Greece 7-6(7/2), 7-6(7/5).

Meanwhile, Navarro led an exodus of seeds, the world number eight falling 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to 20-year old German qualifier Ella Seidel, ranked 125, after over a two hour battle.

The win marks Seidel’s first win against a top 20 player, and a huge blow to Navarro, who has suffered another early elimination, as she struggles to find form after returning to hard courts ahead of the US Open, where she will arrive with only one win under her belt, and three defeats.

Karolina Muchova, the 11th seed from the Czech Republic and a former finalist in Cincy, topped former champion Caroline Garcia, 7-6(7/3) 7-6(7/0), bringing the Frenchwoman’s Cincinnati Open career to a close.

Muchova advances to meet another Frenchwoman, Varvara Gracheva, a qualifier, who upset Sofia Kenin, the American 24th seed, 6-7(0/7), 6-3, 6-3.

Another Czech, 2-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova, who is still working her way back from injury, came from a set behind to upset 10th seed Elina Svitolina from Ukraine, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, and next will meet 17-year old American Iva Jovic.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2025