"128 men in the US Open draw but it feels like 2" - Novak Djokovic & Carlos Alcaraz leave fans wanting more after epic Cincinnati Open final

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz produced a final for the ages at the 2023 Cincinnati Open. The epic match lasted nearly four hours before the Serb was crowned the winner via a third-set tiebreaker.

In what turned out to be the longest best-of-three final of his career, Djokovic prevailed 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4), avenging his loss at the hands of the Spaniard in the Wimbledon final a few weeks ago.

The victory also marked a record-extending 39th Masters title, and a 95th ATP tour title overall, for the 23-time Slam champion. The head-to-head record now stands at 2-2 between Djokovic and Alcaraz, with the duo having traded wins back and forth.

Tennis fans on social media were overjoyed by the quality of tennis the pair produced on the night, proclaiming that men's tennis was lucky to have such an exciting rivalry. Many are looking forward to seeing a repeat of the same at the upcoming US Open, where Djokovic and Alcaraz will be the top-2 seeds and headed for a collision in the title round.

"The fact that any match between Djokovic and Alcaraz is hyped as part of a budding 'rivalry', notwithstanding the implausibility of a rivalry between players sixteen years apart, is actually a tribute to Novak's longevity. Among his peers, he truly is the last man standing," one fan wrote on Twitter.

"One of the great duels in any sport. Let's do it again in New York," another tweeted.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

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"It's a very good test prior to US Open" - Novak Djokovic on the Cincinnati final against Carlos Alcaraz

Cincinnati Tennis

Novak Djokovic himself felt that the Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz was a "very good test" prior to the US Open. Ahead of the clash against the Spaniard, Djokovic called it the "ultimate challenge."

The Serb also expressed hope of testing his mettle against Alcaraz before moving on to Flushing Meadows.

"I guess it's the ultimate challenge at the moment for me. We faced each other in the last three events. Roland Garros, clay. Wimbledon, grass. Now hard court. It's going to be the first encounter on a hard court," Novak Djokovic said.

"It's a very good test prior to US Open. Obviously different conditions. Here best-of-three, US Open best-of-five. It's still facing the top, top player of the world now who is in form. It's the biggest challenge I could get, so I'm looking forward to it. Now it's the best way to prepare for New York," he added.

While the World No. 2 did not play at the US Open last year because of travel restrictions prevailing in America at the time, Carlos Alcaraz won his maiden Grand Slam title in New York with a victory against Casper Ruud in the final.