World primary Aryna Sabalenka and second-ranked Coco Gauff had been despatched crashing out of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Friday (August 15, 2025) as Carlos Alcaraz fought off a fierce problem from Andrey Rublev to reach the semifinals.
Top seed and defending champion Sabalenka had no reply for Elena Rybakina, falling to the 2022 Wimbledon champion 6-1, 6-4.
Reigning French Open champion Gauff had 16 double faults in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 exit by the hands of seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini.
Spain’s second-ranked Alcaraz had his difficulties, however he broke Rublev within the last recreation of a tense duel to emerge a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 winner and will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev, who introduced fifth-seeded Toronto champion Ben Shelton’s run to an finish with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
Zverev earned a 4-1 lead within the second set as Shelton angrily tossed his racquet on the changeover, and the 2021 champion polished off the win on a second match level. He now has 24 hours to strive to get match.
“I’m not feeling too great now, but I have a day to get fresh,” Zverev stated. “I hope to be at 100%.
“I’m not sure what happened. I felt very well, but at the end of the first set, it got progressively worse. But I’ll do all I can to give it a shot tomorrow.”
Alcaraz was damaged whereas serving for victory at 5-4 within the last set in opposition to Eleventh-ranked Rublev, however he discovered his focus and used his trademark grit to come by way of three video games later.
He sealed the triumph as an emotional Rublev hit an eighth double-fault on match level.
“I maintained the positive thoughts even if I lost focus a bit in the second set,” stated Alcaraz, whose 5 titles to date this yr embrace the French Open as properly as Masters 1000 trophies in Monte Carlo and Rome.
Rybakina revenge
Rybakina fired 11 aces en route to a fifth profession victory over Sabalenka in 12 conferences.
She avenged a loss to the Belarusian in Berlin two months in the past and booked a semi-final assembly with Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek — a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Anna Kalinskaya.
Rybakina was aided by 11 aces as she reached her first Cincinnati semi-final.
“I’m happy with the serve. It was the key today,” Rybakina stated. “I served really well.”
“If she had been serving well, it would have been a totally different match,” she acknowledged.
Rybakina has gained her final three matches in opposition to Swiatek, all performed this season.
But Swiatek was feeling assured after downing Kalinskaya in what she known as “the best match I played here.”
“I’m happy that I’m progressing during the tournament,” Swiatek stated.
Gauff, the 2023 Cincinnati champion, had regarded properly on her approach after a fast first set in opposition to Paolini.
But her errors caught up along with her as she was damaged eight instances by the Italian, who overcame loads of errors of her personal as properly as a twisted ankle suffered early within the third set.
“It was so tough at the start, I was running and trying to put the ball inside the court,” Paolini stated. “I started to feel the ball better.”
“I fought for every point and stayed in the match,” added the Italian, who will face Veronika Kudermetova for a spot within the last.
Kudermetova crushed Varvara Gracheva 6-1, 6-2.
