MASON — Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, the top-ranked players in tennis, got past adverse weather conditions and challenging opponents on Thursday to reach the Western & Southern Open quarterfinals.
Alcaraz overcame two rain delays totaling 2 hours, 35 minutes and 14th-seeded American Tommy Paul, who beat him last Friday in Toronto, for a 7-6 (6), 6-7 (0), 6-3 win in a match that lasted 3 hours, 9 minutes.
“You’ve got to stay focused,” said Alcaraz, the defending U.S. Open champion and this year’s Wimbledon titlist from Spain. “It’s not easy to play and stop and play and stop. You can’t do anything but be ready to play.”
Alcaraz recovered after losing three match points during the 12th game of the second set, which lasted 24 points and more than 15 minutes. Blanked in the tiebreaker, he came right back to break Paul’s serve in the first game of the final…