Carlos Alcaraz pulled off a thrilling victory over Andrey Rublev at the Cincinnati Open, winning 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 to secure his place in the semifinals. The match was a rollercoaster of momentum shifts, with Alcaraz showing grit and resilience to overcome a late challenge from the Russian. His reaction after sealing the win was one of pure joy, as he pumped his fists and roared toward the crowd in celebration.
A tense battle with dramatic swings
Alcaraz started strong, taking the first set with confident baseline play and sharp movement. Rublev responded with a powerful second set, capitalizing on Alcaraz’s brief loss of focus. The third set was a nail-biter, with Alcaraz serving for the match at 5-4 but getting broken. He regrouped quickly, broke Rublev in the final game, and clinched the match as Rublev double-faulted on match point.
Alcaraz reflects on his performance
After the match, Alcaraz shared his thoughts on the intense contest. “I’m really happy with the level that I played,” he said. “With the way that I moved, I think I hit the ball really well against a really great ball striker like Andrey.” He also praised his mental toughness, saying he stayed strong even when the match seemed to slip away.
Next challenge: Alexander Zverev
Alcaraz will face world number three Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. Zverev advanced after defeating Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-2, though he admitted to feeling unwell during the match. “Right now I’m not feeling too great,” Zverev said. “I have a day to get fresh and to hopefully feel 100% again”. The semifinal promises to be a high-stakes showdown between two of the tour’s top talents.
Fans energized by Alcaraz’s passion
Alcaraz’s celebration and emotional connection with the crowd have only added to his growing popularity. His ability to combine elite tennis with raw enthusiasm makes him one of the most compelling figures in the sport today. As he heads into the semifinal, fans are eager to see whether he can maintain his momentum and reach another final on the ATP 1000 stage.
Alcaraz in Cincinnati, ranking, and results in 2025
Now the world no.2, Alcaraz has achieved a composed 52-6 win-loss record in 2025. The Spaniard is competing in Cincinnati where he ousted the world no.56 Damir Dzumhur 6-1 2-6 6-3
, the world no.72 Hamad Medjedovic 6-4 6-4, the world no.98 Luca Nardi 6-1 6-4 and the world no.11 Andrey Rublev 6-3 4-6 7-5.Carlos Alcaraz will compete against the world no.3 Alexander Zverev in the semifinal on Saturday at 6:00 pm on CENTER COURT. Their current head to head is 6-5 for Zverev.
Alcaraz has won 5 titles in 2025 in Rotterdam, Monte-Carlo, Rome, French Open and London. Alcaraz was the finalist in Barcelona (Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell) and in Wimbledon.
Carlos won 22 titles in his career: 5 on hard courts, 11 on clay courts, 2 on indoor courts and 4 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Andrey Rublev in 2025
Ranked no.11, the Russian played his last match on the 15th of August when he surrendered to world no.2 Carlos Alcaraz 6-3 4-6 7-5 in the quarter in Cincinnati (draw).
This year Rublev has achieved a composed 29-19 match record. Andrey clinched 1 title in Doha. Rublev reached the final in Hamburg.
Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev squared off 5 times. The head to head is 4-1 for Alcaraz.