Carlos Alcaraz recovers from 'loss of focus' to battle past Andrey Rublev and into Cincinnati semi-final against Alexander Zverev, Aryna Sabalenka out
Published 16/08/2025 at 10:20 GMT+1
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Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare to beat Andrey Rublev in three sets in the last eight of the Cincinnati Open and keep hopes alive of a final against Jannik Sinner. The Spaniard will take on Alexander Zverev in the semis after the German thumped Ben Shelton. In the women’s draw, top two seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff both lost, while Iga Swiatek breezed through to the last four.
Highlights: Alcaraz battles past Rublev to set up Zverev last-four clash in Cincy
Video credit: SNTV
Carlos Alcaraz overcame "extreme conditions" and an Andrey Rublev fightback to book his spot in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open.
The Spaniard was some way off his best but produced the goods when it mattered most to seal a 6-3 4-6 7-5 victory and move into the last four of an ATP Masters 1000 event for a 12th time - as reported by the ATP.
The No. 2 seed will now face Alexander Zverev for a place in the final after the German thrashed Ben Shelton 6-2 6-2.
"It’s just [about] accepting the moment, accepting that I am playing a third set, accepting that it’s going to be a really tough battle, and I love that," Alcaraz said after overcoming a mid-match wobble to advance.
"It was extreme conditions, but I just love playing in front of this energy. I am just really happy to live these kinds of experiences, so I just remind myself of that in these moments.
"I maintained positive thoughts all the time, even though I lost focus a few times during the second set.
"Playing someone like Andrey, when you lose focus on two or three points, it [can] cost you the set or almost the match. I just stayed strong mentally and that’s what I’m most proud of."
Alcaraz broke twice in taking the opener but dropped serve at 3-3 in the second set as ninth-seed Rublev made the most of his opponent’s struggles.
But despite racking up 15 unforced errors in the decider and being broken when he served for the match at 5-3, Alcaraz eventually came through to keep hopes alive of a final against Jannik Sinner.
The Italian first seed made light work of Felix Auger Aliassime, dispatching the Canadian 6-0 6-2 in just an hour and 15 minutes on court.
Up next for Sinner is qualifier Terence Atmane, who stunned Holger Rune in straight sets to continue his fairytale run.
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Highlights: Defending champion Sinner dispatches Auger Aliassime to reach Cincinnati semis
Video credit: SNTV
Sabalenka and Gauff exit as Swiatek storms through
There were upsets in the women’s quarter-finals as both the first and second seeds were dumped out.
In their 12th meeting, Elena Rybakina eased to a dominant 6-1 6-4 win over defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Rybakina survived a break point in the opening game of the match and fended off four more in the second set as she secured a stunning straight-sets victory.
The reward for the ninth seed is a semi-final against Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek, who proved too strong in a 6-3 6-4 win over Anna Kalinskaya.
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In the bottom half of the draw, second-seed Coco Gauff was also beaten. The American took the opening set against Jasmine Paolini, but the Italian battled back to complete a 2-6 6-4 6-3 comeback win.
"It was so tough," Paolini said. "At the beginning, I was just running and trying to put the ball inside the court, but after a little bit, I started to feel better the ball.Â
"I stayed there every point, I tried to fight every point, and it worked."
Paolini will face world No. 36 Veronika Kudermetova next.
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