World number two Carlos Alcaraz fought off a fierce challenge from Andrey Rublev to reach the semi-finals of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Friday as women’s defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was sent crashing by Elena Rybakina.<\/p>\n
Spain’s Alcaraz broke Rublev in the final game of a tense duel to emerge a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 winner and will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev, who brought the winning run of fifth-seeded Toronto champion American Ben Shelton to its end with a 6-2, 6-2\u00a0victory.<\/p>\n
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Germany’s Zverev complained of feeling\u00a0dizzy and out of breath as he led by a set and a break, but benefitted from 27 unforced errors from a\u00a0listless Shelton over 76 minutes.<\/p>\n
Zverev earned a 4-1 lead in the second set as Sheldon angrily tossed his racquet on the changeover, and the 2021 champion polished off the win on a second match point and now has 24 hours to try and get fit.<\/p>\n
“I’m not feeling too great now, but I have a day to get fresh,” Zverev said. “I hope to be at 100%.<\/p>\n
“I’m not sure what happened. I felt very well but at the end of the first set it got\u00a0progressively worse.<\/p>\n
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“But I’ll do all I can to give it a shot tomorrow.”<\/p>\n
Alcaraz was broken while serving for victory at 5-4 in the final set against 11th-ranked Rublev, but he found his focus and used his trademark grit to come through three games later.<\/p>\n
He sealed the triumph as an emotional Rublev hit an eighth double-fault on match point.<\/p>\n
“I maintained the positive thoughts even if I lost focus a bit in the second set,” said Alcaraz, whose five titles so far this year include the French Open as well as Masters 1000 trophies in Monte Carlo and Rome.<\/p>\n
“Against Andrey, if you lose focus it can cost you the set — or the match … (Fighting back) is what I’m most proud of.”<\/p>\n
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– Rybakina revenge –<\/p>\n
Top seeded Sabalenka had no answer for 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who beat the Belarusian 6-1, 6-4 to book a semi-final meeting with Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek — a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Anna Kalinskaya.<\/p>\n
Rybakina claimed a fifth victory in her 12-match personal rivalry with Sabalenka, avenging a loss to the Belarusian in Berlin two months ago.<\/p>\n
Rybakina was aided by 11 aces as she reached her first Cincinnati semi-final.<\/p>\n
“I’m happy with the serve. It was the key today,” Rybakina said. “I served really well.<\/p>\n
“If she had been serving well it would have been a totally different match,” she acknowledged.<\/p>\n
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Rybakina has won her last three matches against Swiatek, all played this season.<\/p>\n
Swiatek needed 93 minutes and five match points to get past Kalinskaya in what she called “the best match I played here.<\/p>\n
“I’m happy that I’m progressing during the tournament,” said the former world number one from Poland.<\/p>\n
I just played my game,” she said. “It was not easy but I’m happy that I stayed solid and kept my intensity,”<\/p>\n
In other quarter-final action, Veronika Kudermetova crushed Varvara Gracheva 6-1, 6-2 and awaits the winner of Friday night’s match between world number two Coco Gauff and ninth-ranked Jasmine Paolini.<\/p>\n
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