Tennis PICS: Djokovic roars back to win thriller for Cincinnati title

Photos of tennis action across the USA on Sunday.

Novak Djokovic overcame a match point and stifling heat to beat world number one Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4) and win the Cincinnati Open in a heart-pounding thriller on Sunday.

Djokovic collapsed on his back and ripped his shirt open after triumphing in the nearly four-hour contest to get revenge for his loss to the young Spaniard in last month's Wimbledon final.

"So much to say and so little energy," Djokovic said while collecting his third Cincinnati Open title.

"It has been a roller coaster and definitely one of the toughest and most exciting matches that I've ever been a part of in any tournament.

"It did feel like a Grand Slam final, even more than that, to be honest."

The Serb was hobbled by the intense humidity in the tail end of the first set, barely moving when Alcaraz hit a backhand winner to grab the opener.

Alcaraz raced out to a 4-2 second-set lead and it appeared he might cruise to the finish line as his 36-year-old opponent looked cooked in the Ohio sun.

But Alcaraz would produce a poor service game while leading 4-3 that included four unforced errors to give life to the world number two.

In the second-set tiebreak Djokovic saved a championship point and went on to force a deciding set after winning a 25-shot rally.

During the break before the third set, a frustrated Alcaraz pounded his right hand against the plastic drinks container next to his chair, requiring a medical time out to tape his finger.

In the decider, Djokovic broke for a 5-3 lead but would then squander two match points in the next game.

The drama would continue when Djokovic missed an overhead for 5-5 and the players would ultimately arrive at another tiebreak, which Djokovic won on his fifth match point of the contest.

"It is going to be tough for me to talk right now but I tried to do my best," Alcaraz said.

"I want to congratulate Novak once again. It's amazing to play against you, share the court with you, learn from you. This match was really close but I learned a lot."

The win delivered Djokovic his 95th career title and 39th Masters 1000 crown.

The tournament was Djokovic's first on U.S. soil in two years after he was barred from entering the country because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.

He will look to add a 24th Grand Slam trophy to his collection at the upcoming US Open, which runs from August 28-September 10.

"Every one of our matches goes the distance," Djokovic said to Alcaraz. The pair are now 2-2 in their generational rivalry.

"Hopefully we can play in some weeks' time in New York," he said.

"That would be nice for the crowd, I don't know about me."

Gauff triumphs in Cincinnati for second title this month

Coco Gauff took down Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday's final to win the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio.

It marks Gauff's first title at a WTA 1000 event -- two weeks after she won in Washington for her first career WTA 500 title. At 19, she became the youngest woman to capture the title at the Cincinnati-area event.

Gauff, the No. 7 seed, took down World No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland for the first time in eight attempts in Saturday's semifinal match before defeating Muchova, who is ranked 17th in the world.

"I'm really happy with how I was able to manage this week," Gauff said in her on-court interview after the match.

"I got a huge win yesterday, a big one today.

"Karolina, she's not an easy player. It's really good to see her back at the top. I think she's one of the most talented players on tour."

On Sunday, Gauff won 35 of 50 first-service points (70 percent) and saved six of nine break points. She also broke Muchova's serve five times in eight opportunities.

"Today I really won it off of breaking serve, to be honest," Gauff said.

"I wasn't really serving as good as I did against Iga. I don't know if it was nerves. I wasn't that nervous, to be honest. Also a combination of the long match yesterday. I wasn't serving as well.

"I think that's what makes a champion, is how you're doing on the days you aren't feeling so great. I'm glad I was able to push through."

Gauff won four of the final five games in the first set. Then she took a commanding 5-2 lead in the second set by breaking Muchova's serve twice. She failed to convert on three match points in the eighth game of the set but got it done in her next service game.

Muchova, the 2023 French Open runner-up, upset No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus on Saturday to advance to the final. She will crack the top 10 of the world rankings on Monday despite losing to Gauff.

"It's always a thing that is in your mind when you play tennis, to make it to Top 10," Muchova said. "It's happening for me tomorrow, so that's really nice result."

Lin Zhu of China converted six of nine break-point opportunities to upset eighth seed Anna Blinkova of Russia 6-0, 6-3 on the first day of main-draw action in Cleveland.

The second set was tied 3-3 before Zhu won the final three matches, including a challenging eighth game where she rallied from down 15-40 to break Blinkova for the sixth and final time.

The opening round was easier for fourth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, who defeated Romania's Patricia Maria Tig 6-1, 6-4. In the only other match of the day, Canada's Leylah Fernandez knocked off Czech foe Linda Noskova 6-0, 6-2 in just 64 minutes.