It is true that Carlos Alcaraz has not been at his best since Wimbledon. He lost to Tommy Paul in the Toronto quarterfinals and even at the Western & Southern Open so far he has underwhelmed. The world No. 1 went to three sets with both Jordan Thompson and Paul in his first two matches.
Surprising quarterfinalist Max Purcell is up next on Friday. This could be more competitive than expected, as Purcell wields an attacking game in which he is happy to be at the net. Purcell isn’t going to just sit at the baseline and play long rallies against Alcaraz–after all, he can’t. The Aussie, who qualified to get into the main draw, has advanced with victories over Lloyd Harris, Casper Ruud, and Stan Wawrinka.
I wouldn’t be surprised by at least one tiebreaker, but Alcaraz has two wins under his belt–including some confidence-boosting revenge against Paul–and should raise his level in the quarters.
Pick: Alcaraz in 2
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