Carlos Alcaraz knows that he risked more than expected against Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals of the 'Cincinnati Open', but he overcame the difficulties and qualified for the semifinals in Ohio also thanks to some gifts from the Russian player in the decisive moment of the challenge.
The world number 2 was in full control of the match until the middle of the second set, before his level dropped allowing his rival to gain confidence and extend the clash to the third set. The five-time Grand Slam champion seemed to have solved any problem when he got the break in the eighth game of the decisive set, but he didn't play well with his serve and risked reaching the tiebreak.
The champion from Moscow was not lucid in the twelfth game and handed the victory to the 22-year-old Spaniard with a double fault. The former world number 1 celebrated in a very conspicuous way after the match point, further evidence of his desire to lift this trophy that had eluded him by a whisker two years ago.
Carlitos took his 17th top 20 win of 2025
The ace from Murcia is aware that a success in Ohio would allow him to arrive with extreme confidence at the US Open, where he won the first Major of his entire career in 2022. He wants to return to the top of the ATP rankings by the end of this year and the two American tournaments are crucial to get closer to this goal.
Speaking on 'Sky Sports', former American tennis player Ryan Harrison highlighted Carlitos' reaction at the end of the match against Rublev: “Have you ever seen a reaction like this by a guy who has won so many majors in the quarterfinals of a Masters?
Not to take anything away from the occasion, but for someone who has been world number one for so many weeks and won so many majors, look at the energy! Just the way he loves to compete and what it means. This guy just bleeds competitiveness.”
Refuse to lose 🤩
The moment @carlosalcaraz notched his 15th consecutuve Masters 1000 victory!#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/fQeswM1U9Y
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 15, 2025
