Cincinnati Open: Carlos Alcaraz Battles Through Rain, Holder Caroline Garcia Out

Carlos Alcaraz battled through a rain interruption to claim his 50th win of the season, defeating Jordan Thompson 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 on Wednesday at the Cincinnati Open. The top-seeded Spaniard is bidding for his seventh trophy of 2023 as he prepares for a US Open title defense in less than a fortnight. His victory took three hours, with the world number one breaking open the third set as he delivered two love games and moved through on a second match point.

"I had never played him and the start/stop was not easy," Alcaraz said. "It was not easy to wait for the rain.

"He played aggressive, I'm glad to get through. It was a long day waiting to play and then find rain in the first set.

"I had to play my best level at the end; I'm hoping for better conditions in the next round."

Alcaraz was tested by number 55 Thompson who now stands 2-16 against Top-10 opponents.

The Spaniard had 32 winners and 41 unforced errors in the marathon.

Including a 15-minute pause for rain and subsequent warmup, the first set took nearly 90 minutes, with Thompson saving 10 of a dozen break points only to lose on the first Alcaraz set point.

Alcaraz came back from a break down in the second set and ran away with the third as Thompson complained to the chair umpire about an incorrectly strung racquet which he only discovered at a late stage in the epic.

British exodus

In other games, an inspired Gael Monfils applied the finishing touches to a British exodus with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 defeat of 13th seed Cameron Norrie.

The veteran French showman got his left knee wrapped in the opening set of the first-round match and took confidence from encouraging words from the physio to secure the win which left Britain 0-3 on the day here.

The rush to the exits began