"Why Carlos Alcaraz at 3 pm?" – Aryna Sabalenka lambasts Cincinnati Open scheduling; complains about not getting enough rest before SF
Aryna Sabalenka has criticized the Cincinnati Open organizers for not giving her enough rest before her semifinal and prioritizing Carlos Alcaraz in the schedule.
Sabalenka overcame a strong challenge from Ons Jabeur on Friday, August 18, to avenge her loss to the Tunisian at Wimbledon in July. She hit a total of nine aces and broke her opponent six times to win the match 7-5, 6-3.
"I'm super happy to be in the semifinals. Super happy to get this win back," she said during her post-match press conference.
The World No. 2 is set to play Karolina Muchova on Saturday for a place in the final. However, she is not entirely pleased with the scheduling of the match. Sablenka finished her quarter-final match late in the evening on Friday and now has less than 24 hours to regroup and prepare herself for the Muchova challenge.
"The only thing I was worried is the schedule," she continued. "Everyone was complaining about schedule in Montreal. Just the same thing happen here. I was really disappointed."
The 25-year-old was upset with the tournament's handling of the men's and women's schedules.
"Why they would make this decision... why [Carlos] Alcaraz at 3 pm?" she questioned. "I mean, I understand this is Alcaraz, everyone wants to see him play. They put him at 6. I just played the match not before 7. Finish, what, 9? I have to play one again tomorrow. I was thinking at least 3 p.m. Just the only thing what makes me worried."
The first ATP semifinal at the Cincinnati Open between Carlos Alcaraz and Hubert Hurkacz is scheduled to be played at 3 p.m. on Saturday and the second semifinal between Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic will be played in the evening around 6 p.m.
"Going to be really interesting semifinal" - Carlos Alcaraz ahead of Hubert Hurkacz battle at Cincinnati Open
Carlos Alcaraz is excited to play against Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open on Saturday, August 19. The duo has squared off twice before, both times on North American hard courts, with the Spaniard coming out on top.
Alcaraz reflected on their most recent meeting at the Canadian Open in Toronto last week.
"Well, we played in Toronto. We had a great match, really tough one," he said. "I mean, here in Cincinnati the court is a little bit faster than in Toronto, so probably suits better to his game. Big serves, big shots."
"We have to show our best level to beat him. He's playing well. Is going to be a really interesting for us semifinal. Really fun to watch," he added.