Defending champion Jannik Sinner and World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz will renew their fast growing rivalry in the Cincinnati Open final after both advanced with straight-set victories on Saturday.
On his 24th birthday, Sinner ended the dream run of World No.136 Terence Atmane with a 7-6(4), 6-2 win. The Italian, who did not face a break point in an 86-minute match, celebrated his 200th tour-level victory and extended his unbeaten streak on the surface to 26 matches.
Birthday boy @janniksin defeats Terence Atmane 7-6 6-2 to become the first player born since 2000 to achieve 200 ATP Tour hard-court wins 👏#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/DfrxMqXSF2
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 16, 2025
The French qualifier, fresh off stunning the Top 10 wins over Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune, brought his big serve to the sport light in his first ATP Tour-level semifinal agasint Sinner, even firing three straight aces in onr game.
But a costly double fault at the start of the tie-break handed Sinner the edge in a tight first set. Though Sinner’s own serve was nearly flawless early, he wobbled at the start of the second before steadier play allowed him to push through long rallies and take control of Atmane’s service games.
2️⃣4️⃣ and hungry for more 💪
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 16, 2025
Birthday boy @janniksin ends Terence Atmane's dream run 7-6 6-2 to reach his 8th Masters final #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/D14BtmcNwm
“It was a very, very tough challenge,” Sinner said. ” Every time you play against something completely new, it’s difficult, but playing against this guy in the later stage of a tournament is even more difficult. The pressure is higher, and you know they deserve to be there. He has beaten incredible players. I knew I had to be very careful, and my mindset was in a good spot.”
Elsewhere, Alcaraz followed Sinner onto the court and defeated Alexander Zverev with 6-4, 6-3 to mark his seventh straight tour-level final overcoming an ailing to set up yet another showdown with the World No.1, this will be their fourth meeting of the season so far and a rematch of Rome, Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals.
Comin' for the crown 👑
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 17, 2025
The moment @carlosalcaraz defeated Zverev to reach his 29th ATP final, and second at #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/y1gSR2DHly
A tense opening set was decided by a late surge of brilliance from Alcaraz, but the contest shifted as Zverev began to struggle physically in the second. The German, who needed treatment in his quarterfinal win over Ben Shelton, took a medical timeout at 2-1 in the second set and was visibly hampered thereafter.
The Spaniard admitted his own focus wavered when he saw Zverev’s condition. “We started the match really well, playing good rallies. But then all of a sudden he started to feel bad, and my focus shifted to how he was doing rather than myself,” Alcaraz said.
On court, Alcaraz targeted Zverev’s forehand wing with heavy cross-court blows, while the German tried to counter by taking his forehand down the line. From 2-3 down in the first set, Alcaraz reeled off four of the next five games and carried that momentum into the second, despite briefly gifting back a break with three consecutive double faults.
VAMOS 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/Hm2mzBq4bQ
— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 17, 2025
The victory came far more comfortably than his quarterfinal against Andrey Rublev, which stretched to three sets. It also marked Alcaraz’s ninth ATP Masters 1000 final (7-1) and his first on hard courts since Indian Wells 2024. Riding a 16-match winning streak at the Masters 1000 level, he has compiled a 38-2 record since April.
Monday’s final will be their 14th career clash against each other, with the Spaniard currently leading their Lexus ATP head2head 8-5.
