World no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz is through to his second Cincinnati Masters final. The 22-year-old faced world no. 3 Alexander Zverev in the semi-final and earned a 6-4, 6-3 victory in an hour and 45 minutes.
Zverev did not feel well in challenging conditions. He gave his best but lost steam in the closing stages, dropping the last 16 points and ending his run in the semi-final.
An hour after the match, Carlos hit the practice court, working on his serve and displaying full dedication ahead of the ultimate title clash with world no. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Practice Makes Perfect! 👌
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Carlos Alcaraz defeats Zverev to reach the Cincinnati Open final21:12
Carlos Alcaraz back on the practice courts working on the serve #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/8OjxXVYma2— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 17, 2025
Alcaraz will have to dig deep to dethrone the world's best player and further reduce the gap ahead of the ATP throne clash at the US Open. Thus, the Spaniard extended his time on the court despite a solid win.
He worked on further improvements ahead of the most challenging task in today's tennis – beating Jannik on hard court. The Italian has won his previous 26 matches on the most common surface, enjoying one of the best streaks since 2000.
Carlos and Alexander met for the 12th time, and the Spaniard provided his sixth victory. The 2023 finalist collected 20 points more than his rival and embraced a steady ride toward his 29th ATP final.
Carlos Alcaraz, Cincinnati 2025© Stream screenshot
Alcaraz served at 53%, and he certainly wants to change that against Sinner on Monday. However, he did not need more against shaky Zverev, saving four of five break points and keeping the pressure on the other side.
Alexander struggled to find his A-game, losing steam and barely finishing the duel. He dropped almost half of the points in his games and experienced four breaks.
Carlos led 20-14 in service winners and dominated the baseline 36-20. He landed 28 winners and 24 unforced errors, sailing over the top and prevailing for the ultimate test with more hours on the practice court.
