Alexander Zverev is through to the Cincinnati Masters semi-final for the fourth time, the third in a row. World no. 3 faced the Canada Masters winner Ben Shelton in the quarter-final and provided a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory in an hour and 17 minutes.
Thus, the German ended the American's nine-match winning streak and remained perfect in their matches. Zverev will face Carlos Alcaraz in his 22nd Masters 1000 semi-final.
Ben played well en route to the quarter-final. He defeated Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round but had nothing left in the tank for a clash against fellow top-10 player.
Running up that hill 💪@AlexZverev remains perfect against Ben Shelton with a 6-2 6-2 triumph. #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/kjbkS9XutN
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 16, 2025
Alexander took 19 points more than his rival. The German played well behind the first and second serve and defended the only break point he faced to keep the pressure on the other side.
Shelton could not match those numbers after never feeling the ball properly. He dropped 48% of the points in his games and faced 11 break points, giving serve away two times in each set and ending his campaign in the last eight.
Zverev landed 13 winners and unforced errors. His rival counted 18 direct points but 27 mistakes, mostly from his backhand. The German held in the second game of the match following a wild forehand from the other side.
Alexander Zverev, Cincinnati 2025© Stream screenshot
World no. 3 made a push on the return from 0-40, creating a break chance with a winner and seizing it when Ben sent a volley wide. The champion from 2021 cemented the lead with a powerful serve in game four.
A left-hander struggled again at 1-3. He hit a double fault on the fifth break chance, losing serve for the second straight time and falling further behind. Zverev clinched the sixth game with a service winner and served for the set at 5-2.
He missed a forehand and faced the only break point. The German denied it with a powerful serve and converted a set point with an ace for 6-2 in 40 minutes. World no. 3 held after deuces in the second game of the second set.
Ben Shelton, Cincinnati 2025© Stream screenshot
He made a push on the return in the next one and grabbed a break when Shelton netted a forehand. Alexander received a medical timeout during the break after not feeling well.
He continued and cemented the break with a service winner in game four. The home player sprayed a terrible backhand error in the fifth game, experiencing another break and finding himself 4-1 behind.
Zverev grabbed the sixth game at love with a powerful serve and served for the win at 5-2. He held at 15 with a forced error, sealing the deal in style and arranging the semi-final clash with Carlos Alcaraz.
