Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz is looking forward to returning with an improved performance after losing to America's Tommy Paul in quarter-final of the Canadian Open.
The world number one Alcaraz was beaten by 6-3 4-6 6-3.
The Spaniard was off to a poor start as he lost the opening set early by 6-3.
Alcaraz upped his game in the second, hitting a sensational tweener for a winner to level at 3-3 and breaking at love for a 4-3 lead the next game en route to leveling the contest.
But Paul took control in the decider, smoking a backhand at the charging Alcaraz that he could not put back in play for a break and pouncing on a poorly executed drop shot from Alcaraz on match point to dismiss the top seed.
"I realise that I didn't play well, these matches," Alcaraz told reporters after losing to Paul for a second straight year in Canada. "All I can do now is practice to be better. I have some weeks before the U.S. Open.
"But now I have to be focussed on Cincinnati. It's a Masters 1000. It's a big tournament as well. Obviously, I take a lot of lessons from this tournament.
"I think I did well some things, but probably everything can be better. I always say you can be better in everything even if you've played your best matches in your career.
"But right now, I have to improve a lot of things, getting more confidence in my game."
Alcaraz could meet Paul again in the Cincinnati third round after slipping to 1-2 in their head-to-head-meetings and the 20-year-old is aware of the threat the American poses in the last warm-up tournament before the U.S. Open from Aug. 28 to Sept. 10.
