Cincinnati 2023: Carlos Alcaraz vs Jordan Thompson preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs (Q) Jordan Thompson

Date: August 15, 2023

Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2023

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Cincinnati, US

Surface:Hard

Prize money: $6,600,000

Carlos Alcaraz vs Jordan Thompson preview

After a first-round bye, top seed Carlos Alcaraz will square off with Jordan Thompson in the second round of the 2023 Western & Southern Open.

Alcaraz has been one of the best performing players this season. He has won six titles, with the biggest of them all coming at last month's Wimbledon. The 20-year old defeated Novak Djokovic in the final to capture his second Major crown.

Alcaraz also won titles in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid and Queen's Club, along with a runner-up finish in Rio. Following his Wimbledon triumph, he returned to action at the Canadian Open.

Alcaraz scored wins over Ben Shelton and Hubert Hurkacz to set up a quarterfinal clash against Tommy Paul. The World No. 1 put up a fight, but lost to the American in three sets for the second year in a row at the venue.

Thompson defeated Alexandre Muller and Marc-Andrea Huesler to secure his spot in the main draw here. He was up against home favorite John Isner in the first round and topped the American in two tie-breaks to win 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2).

Carlos Alcaraz vs Jordan Thompson head-to-head

This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Jordan Thompson odds

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

Carlos Alcaraz vs Jordan Thompson prediction

Thompson survived a barrage of aces from the big-serving Isner to start off his campaign in Cincinnati on a winning note. The Australian won 88% of his first serve points and struck 14 winners in all.

Alcaraz's reign at the top seed is under threat this week. He'll need to perform better than Djokovic and if the Spaniard reaches the final, he'll sit atop the rankings next week regardless of his challenger's result.

Alcaraz's loss to Paul last week at the Canadian Open was just his fifth of the season. The Spaniard was rushed by his opponent and he didn't have enough time to set up his shots the way he wanted to. He'll now look to be better prepared in case Thompson employs the same tactic.

Thompson will need to play at a high level from the very first point to have a shot at winning. With just a couple of wins over top 10 players under his belt, the Australian has his task cut out for him. In the end he's likely to challenge Alcaraz for a bit, after which the World No. 1 should cruise to a win.

Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in straight sets.