The Spaniard knocked out a suffocating Zverev and will play for the title against the number one, as in Rome, Paris and London.
MADRID, 17 (EUROPA PRESS)
Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz defeated German Alexander Zverev (6-4, 6-3) this Saturday in the semifinals of the Cincinnati tournament, the seventh ATP Masters 1000 of the season, and will seek the title on Monday against number one, Italian Jannik Sinner.
The Murcian had his best match in the Ohio event, remaining uneventful beyond a break down at the start of the second set, when he had already broken his opponent. Alcaraz, who reached his eighth final of 2025 (53 wins) in pursuit of a sixth title, delivered quality tennis, hitting a dozen aces, and showed no mercy to Zverev, who suffered from the heat or some discomfort and ended up doubled.
The German refused to give in and abandon a match that became tedious, delayed by rain and then an emergency stoppage in the stands, but in the second set he dragged himself around the court like a ghost. From the start, the match was even, with a few errors from both players; a couple of extra points from Alcaraz led to a 0-40 lead, just as the match was halted in anticipation of the crowd.
The five-time Grand Slam champion saved the day and, in the seventh game, broke with a pair of volleys at the net. Alcaraz then unleashed aces and easily took the first set. The Spaniard worked hard to break Zverev in a long start to the second set, but then got tangled up, with the inexplicable genius of a player, missing serve after serve (1-1).
However, despite opening up some opportunity for a comeback, the German then felt the tremendous decline that kept him on edge until the end. Zverev sat on the floor, made it 1-2 as best he could, and then threw himself down in his chair, calling for a doctor due to severe dizziness. Alcaraz had to manage a strange outcome, with his opponent throwing punches at will and hoping for a physical miracle.
The El Palmar native dropped the last four games and, "sad for Sasha," as he wrote on camera after winning, secured his place in his seventh consecutive final, the fourth he will play against Sinner almost in a row after Rome, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon. The Italian shattered the dream of an upset by French qualifier Terence Atmane with a 7-6(4), 6-2 victory in the previous semifinal.
The number one and number two, the rivalry that dominates the ATP circuit, will have its 14th chapter this Monday (9:00 p.m. CET) (8-5 for Alcaraz), a month after the previous clash, the Wimbledon final won by Sinner. The Italian, reigning Cincinnati champion, ended the Spaniard's streak in Grand Slam finals on English grass, as well as the five consecutive victories that Alcaraz had, who will try to regain his leading role in Ohio.
