Rublev Falls As Alcaraz Powers Into Cincinnati Last Four

Carlos Alcaraz survived a fired-up Andrey Rublev and a nervy, error-strewn final set on Friday to book his place in the Cincinnati Open semi-finals.

The World No.2 has secured ebbs and flows throughout his Ohio campaign, and his quarterfinal clash with Rublev followed the same script. Despite producing 15 unforced errors and three double faults in the decider, the Spaniard held firm to clinch a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 victory after two hours and 17 minutes, sealing his 12th ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.

It was the 10th time this year that Alcaraz dropped the second set after winning the first in a best-of-three match. Remarkably, he has gone on to win nine of those contests. After the match, he explained that his mindset was to accept the difficulty and feed off the energy of the crowd. He described the conditions as extreme but said he felt grateful to experience such moments.

The quarterfinal clash swung dramatically in the closing stages. After breaking Rublev for a 5-3 lead in the third set and roaring in celebration, Alcaraz immediately faltered with a double fault to start his service game. Rublev fought back to level a 5-5, but the Spaniard once again dug deep, reeling off the final two games to extend his ATP Masters 1000 winning streak to 15 matches, following titles in Monte-Carlo and Rome.

“I maintained positive thoughts all the time, even though I lost focus a few times during the second set,” Alcaraz admitted. “Playing someone like Andrey, when you lose focus on two or three points, it can cost you. I just stayed strong mentally, and that’s what I’m most proud of.”

The 22-year-old remains on course for a potential showdown with top seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner in the final, which would mark a fourth consecutive tournament in which both have featured. But before the final, however, Alcaraz will face third seed Alexander Zverev, who dispatched a fatigued Ben Shelton in straight sets.

Victory over Zverev would send Alcaraz into his third consecutive ATP Masters 1000 final and keep alive the prospect of another chapter in his growing rivalry with Sinner.