Carlos Alcaraz beats Luca Nardi in 'best match so far' to reach Cincinnati Open quarter-finals, Jannik Sinner defeats Adrian Mannarino
Published 14/08/2025 at 10:14 GMT+1
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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner remain on course to clash in the Cincinnati Open final after both players advanced to the last eight. Alcaraz said his performance to beat Luca Nardi was "the best so far", while Sinner admitted he "struggled" to get the better of Adrian Mannarino. Alcaraz will play Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals, while Sinner meets Felix Auger Aliassime.
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Carlos Alcaraz beat Luca Nardi 6-1 6-4 to reach the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals with a performance the Spaniard described as "the best so far for me in this tournament".
The world No. 2 took just 27 minutes to win a dominant first set, although he was made to work harder in the second set.
But Alcaraz came through to secure his 51st victory of 2025 and remains on course for yet another final.
"I think this match was the best so far for me in this tournament," he said in his on-court interview.
"At the beginning of the tournament, I just really wanted to get better every day, after every practice and every match. I think I’m doing it, which I’m really proud about.
"I’m just really happy with the way I felt the ball today and the way that I moved."
Alcaraz won 13 of the first 14 points of the match, setting a standard that world No. 98 Nardi could not match.
But the Italian responded after a one-sided opening set, breaking to lead 4-2 as Alcaraz endured his first dip of the contest.
It was only a momentary glimmer of hope for Nardi, though, as Alcaraz won four successive games to complete victory in 80 minutes.
Alcaraz will play ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals, after the Russian beat Francisco Comesana 6-2 6-3 in just over an hour.
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Sinner 'struggles' to reach last eight
Jannik Sinner remains on course to meet Alcaraz in the final after beating Adrian Mannarino 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
A close first set swung the world No. 1's way when he broke the 37-year-old in the first game, before holding his serve for the remainder.
Play was suspended because of rain early in the second set, and when the players returned almost three hours later, both were consistent on serve.
Sinner eventually broke to go 6-5 ahead, despite Mannarino saving three break points.
The Frenchman, ranked 89th in the world, fought back, immediately breaking Sinner with a superb forehand return to force a tie-break.
But Sinner was too strong in the tie-break, hitting two aces and winning 7-4 to advance to the quarter-finals.
"He's a tough opponent," Sinner said. "Very different to all the other opponents. Not only because he is a leftie but also how he hits the ball - it's very low.
"I struggled a bit to close it out, but this can happen in this sport, and I'm very happy to be in the next round."
Sinner will meet Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime in the last eight, while USA's Ben Shelton will face Jiri Lehecka.
Terence Atmane - fresh off a shock win over Taylor Fritz - will play Holger Rune.
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