Alcaraz struggled to defeat Rublev, won a ticket to the Cincinnati Open semi-finals

(Dan Tri) - Carlos Alcaraz excellently defeated Andrey Rublev in a dramatic quarterfinal match at the Cincinnati Open in the early morning of August 16, thereby winning a ticket to the Cincinnati Open semi-finals.

Alcaraz has had a rollercoaster ride at the Ohio tournament, and his match against Rublev was no exception. Despite 15 unforced errors and three double faults in the deciding set, Alcaraz held on to win 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. This is his 12th ATP Masters 1000 semi-final appearance.

It was also the 10th time this year that Alcaraz has lost the second set after winning the first set in a three-set match. However, the Spaniard has won nine of those encounters, and after his victory over Rublev, he expressed his love for these challenging matches.

Alcaraz had a tough match against Rublev (Photo: Getty).

“It was important to accept the moment, accept that I was going to play the third set, accept that it was going to be a really tough match, and I loved that. The conditions were tough, but I loved playing against this energy. I was really happy to experience things like that, so I always remind myself of that in these great moments,” Alcaraz said after the match.

Alcaraz is still on course to face top seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner in the final, marking the fourth consecutive tournament they have both appeared in. However, the two opponents have had quite different paths to the semi-finals. Sinner will face Terence Atmane in the semi-finals, the Italian who has yet to drop a set this tournament, while Alcaraz has lost serve in all four of his matches and twice advanced in three-set matches.

“I always kept a positive spirit, although I lost focus sometimes in the second set. Against someone like Andrey, when you lose focus on two or three points, it can cost you the set or almost the match. I had to stay positive and that's what I'm most proud of,” Alcaraz added.

After breaking Rublev to lead 5-3 in the final set, Alcaraz had another tough service game, opening with a double fault. The 22-year-old Spaniard was forced to use his composure in the deciding set after Rublev levelled at 5-5, but he did so brilliantly to extend his ATP Masters 1000 winning streak to 15 matches, following titles in Monte Carlo and Rome.

Alcaraz was disappointed after a losing move (Photo: Getty).

With the victory, which lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes, Alcaraz equaled Carlos Moya's record of the third most ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals for a Spaniard. The 22-year-old Spaniard now leads Rublev 4-1 in the head-to-head series, having won the fourth round of Wimbledon last month.

Alcaraz leads the Tour with 52 wins and five titles in 2025, and awaits a semi-final against Canadian Open champion Ben Shelton or world No. 3 Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz reached the Cincinnati final in 2023 but lost in a dramatic three-set thriller to Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz currently leads second-placed Sinner by 1,540 points in the ATP Live Race To Turin, with the two still locked in a tight battle for the title of number one player of the year. Both players have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, where Sinner is the defending champion.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/alcaraz-nhoc-nhan-ha-rublev-gianh-ve-vao-ban-ket-cincinnati-open-20250816071314356.htm