Draper Wins: Felix Auger Aliassime was misplaced in a completely controversial game with Jack Draper at the Cincinnati Open. Draper gained five-7, 6-four, 6-four after a difficult-fought match that ended under disputed occasions. Auger-Aliassime said the Briton should not have been awarded the final point as he claimed it had touched the floor only after hitting the frame of his racket. The umpire thought otherwise and the Canadian let his protests known to no avail.
Dispute over Match Point
The disagreement came at match point when Auger-Aliassime accused Draper of having “shanked it on the floor.” Replays seemed to support this claim but that was not enough to overturn the umpire’s decision. Draper admitted during his post-match interview: “I didn’t see what happened. I looked at the umpire straight away to see if he called a double bounce or not.”
Had there been an obvious double bounce seen by the umpire, Draper said he would have agreed to replay that point. This incident casts a shadow over his well-deserved victory.
Draper’s Journey to Quarter-Finals
But reaching the quarter-finals was not smooth sailing for him either. He eliminated Stefanos Tsitsipas before facing Auger-Aliassime. Regardless of what happened today, he will play against Holger Rune in the next round. He felt pity about how unlucky it would have been for Felix had they stopped playing because of a disputed call.
Alcaraz Stunned by Monfils
Also on that day, Carlos Alcaraz —French Open and Wimbledon winner— suffered an upset defeat when he faced Gael Monfils from France who turned things around after a rain break which saw the Spaniard lose 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 with racquet abuse coming into the equation after failing to break Monfils in deciding set.
Alcaraz Reflects on Performance
The young Spaniard did not hold back in his post-match comments as he described it as “the worst match that I ever played in my career.” Alcaraz had trouble dealing with emotions during the game which is something he usually handles well. Despite good practice days before the tournament, Alcaraz couldn’t find himself during this crucial match.
Monfils Advances but Falls to Rune
Monfils moved past Alcaraz only to meet Holger Rune later that day and bow out after three sets which ended 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 for the Dane.
Swiatek Shines at Cincinnati Open
Beyond Draper and Alcaraz, there were other interesting matches from Cincinnati. The women’s world number one Iga Swiatek swept aside Marta Kostyuk to reach the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-2 victory. She will face Mirra Andreeva who got the better of Jasmine Paolini.
Aryna Sabalenka also made it into the last eight after beating Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-2 while Jessica Pegula fought through two matches in one day defeating Karolina Muchova 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 first before overcoming Taylor Townsend later on with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-3.
Summary: A Day of Surprises and Disputes
Jack Draper’s controversial victory and Carlos Alcaraz’s surprising loss had been the highlights of the Cincinnati Open. Which has been an event marked with the aid of sudden turns. With extra rounds still to be available and this increasingly fierce opposition for the crown, interest will now shift to those left in contention for it.
