Carlos Alcaraz is battling in the Cincinnati quarter-final against Andrey Rublev. World no. 2 scored three wins in Ohio and praised his progress and evolution, hitting the ball better daily and feeling good on the court.
The Spaniard faced his good friend and coeval Luca Nardi in the fourth round. The favorite earned a 6-1, 6-4 victory in an hour and 20 minutes for a place in the last eight.
The finalist from 2023 called it his best match of the week after outplaying the Italian in every department. Carlos faced a younger opponent for the 11th time and remained perfect, dropping only two matches in those encounters!
Alcaraz continua em boa fase e chega às quartas de final de Cincinnati.
O espanhol demonstrou alguma melhora no tênis, derrotando de forma convincente Luca Nardi. pic.twitter.com/CluEiFurIf— Central Carlos Alcaraz (@AlcarazCentral) August 14, 2025
World no. 2 faced only two break points and got broken once in the second set. Luca could not follow those numbers in his games. The Italian gave away almost half of the points in his games and lost serve four times from 11 chances presented to his rival.
Luca sprayed eight double faults and hit 30 unforced errors. Alcaraz forged a 20-11 advantage in service winners and had the upper hand from the baseline in a comfortable triumph.
Carlos served well in the opener and landed many service winners. He secured an early break at love in the second game and created more chances at 4-1. The Spaniard converted the fourth break point and extended the gap.
Carlos Alcaraz, Cincinnati 2025© Stream screenshot
The 2023 finalist wrapped up the first part of the duel with an unreturned serve at 5-1, clinching it in 27 minutes. Nardi played better in the second set and clinched a break in the sixth game that sent him 4-2 in front.
Carlos kept his composure and pulled the break back a few minutes later before holding for 4-4. The ninth game lasted 14 minutes and provided a thriller! Alcaraz kept pushing and seized the fifth break point after the rival's double fault.
Thus, world no. 2 moved 5-4 up and served for the win in game ten. He created a match point and seized it with a volley winner, sealing the deal in style and moving into the last eight.
Carlos Alcaraz & Luca Nardi, Cincinnati 2025© Stream screenshot
"Undoubtedly, I think this has been my best match in Cincinnati this year. My goal was to improve in every match and practice session, and that achievement makes me proud.
It's incredible to see how I'm evolving in this tournament. I'm happy with how I felt the ball today and how I moved," Carlos Alcaraz said.
