Tennis acca tips: Carlos Alcaraz to avenge Toronto defeat in Cincy
- James Richardson
- 17 August 2023
Here Planet Sport offers a handful of picks from select matches in Cincinnati to help you assemble a tennis accumulator.
Carlos Alcaraz will face Tommy Paul for the second week in a row as he seeks to avenge his defeat in Toronto at the Cincinnati Masters.
The action on Thursday evening should be intense, given the matchups we have on the order of play.
Here we make picks from select matches set to play out over the course of the next day.
ATP Cincinnati:
Alexander Zverev vs Daniil Medvedev | Pick: Medvedev
ATP Cincinnati:
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz | Pick: Tsitsipas
ATP Cincinnati:
Carlos Alcaraz Garfia vs Tommy Paul | Pick: Alcaraz
ATP Cincinnati:
Dusan Lajovic vs Taylor Fritz | Pick: Fritz
WTA Cincinnati:
Marketa Vondrousova vs Sloane Stephens | Pick: Vondrousova
WTA Cincinnati:
Iga Swiatek vs Qinwen Zheng | Pick: Swiatek
WTA Cincinnati:
Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini | Pick: Rybakina
WTA Cincinnati:
Marie Bouzkova vs Jessica Pegula | Pick: Pegula
ATP Cincinnati: Alexander Zverev vs Daniil Medvedev
Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev are to contest their 16th head-to-head meeting of a storied rivalry.
Medvedev holds the edge so far with nine wins against the six notched by Zverev.
While the pace of the courts has made life tricky for players, there are few better suited to them than Medvedev.
Zverev hasn't beaten Medvedev on a hard court since 2018, when the Russian was a qualifier in Toronto.
ATP Cincinnati: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz
Expect some incredible hitting when Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz takes centre stage.
Tsitsipas leads the head-to-head between the players handsomely after seven wins in just nine matches.
They have not met since last October in Astana when Tsistipas came out on top in a showdown on indoor hard courts.
Hurkacz did win their last clash on US soil, though, beating Tsitsipas at the 2021 Miami Open.
ATP Cincinnati: Carlos Alcaraz Garfia vs Tommy Paul
Having seen Tommy Paul eliminate him in Canada for the second season running, Carlos Alcaraz should be out to prove that the American doesn't have his number.
Paul will take a big confidence boost from the win last week but is likely to need to step up his game if he wants another win.
Alcaraz may have won the first meeting between the two players but the two most recent clashes are likely to be on his mind.
Alcaraz is locked in a battle for the top seeding at the US Open with Novak Djokovic which will be decided in Cincy.
ATP Cincinnati: Dusan Lajovic vs Taylor Fritz
Dusan Lajovic sets out to claim the scalp of another Masters champion in Taylor Fritz, having bested Toronto champion Jannik Sinner in the previous round.
Fritz is on something of a roll n the hard court season, an encouraging sign for fans of American men's tennis.
Lajovic won't catch Fritz by surprise, but the conditions could act as an equaliser.
Fritz knows the dangers of Lajovic well after losing to him in their only previous tour meeting.
WTA Cincinnati: Marketa Vondrousova vs Sloane Stephens
Marketa Vondrousova and Sloane Stephens will face each other in the third round of the Western & Southern Open in what will be their first WTA Tour match.
The clash of one-time Grand Slam champions promises to be a fascinating one.
Vondrousova lost her second match back on the WTA Tour last week but has picked up a pair of straight sets triumphs this week.
Stephens already has one upset to her name, having bested Caroline Garcia in the second round.
WTA Cincinnati: Iga Swiatek vs Qinwen Zheng
Iga Swiatek doesn't have to face Venus Williams, but in Qinwen Zheng, she will find a tough foe.
Zheng has come close to unlocking the world No 1 on previous occasions but is still chasing her first win over the Pole.
Swiatek has won all three of their previous meetings but has candidly admitted that Zheng is a formidable opponent.
Zheng bested Venus Williams in the previous round, while Swiatek made quick work of Danielle Collins.
WTA Cincinnati: Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini
Another Grand Slam champion looking to find her best level is Elena Rybakina, who went deep in Montreal but felt let down by scheduling issues.
Rybakina has beaten Paolini before, but they have yet to contest a match on a hard court.
In the previous round, Rybkina had to dig deep to get beyond Jelena Ostapenko.
However, Rybakina's time on the court shouldn't be an issue, given that she faces a player who has had to battle through qualifying.
WTA Cincinnati: Marie Bouzkova vs Jessica Pegula
Despite being the more fancied player every time she has met Marie Bouzkova, Jessica Pegula owns just two wins in five attempts against the Czech.
Pegula was the Montreal champion last week and avoided a defeat straight away with a comeback win over Martina Trevisan.
Bouzkova also had her hands full battling beyond Elise Mertens to reach this stage.
Pegula is in a winning mindset, and she should be able to square up her rivalry with Bouzkova.
