Five-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz extended his winning streak to 15 matches at the Masters 1000 level by recording a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 triumph over world No. 11 Andrey Rublev in a two-hour, 17-minute thriller, securing his spot at the Cincinnati Open semifinals.
Addressing the contest, he outlined: “It’s just accepting that I am playing a third set, accepting that it’s going to be a really tough battle, and I love that.
“It was extreme conditions, but I just love playing in front of this energy. I am just really happy to live these kinds of experiences, so I just remind myself of that in these moments.”
The rollercoaster of a match saw the second seed battling hard to come back from the brink, halting Rublev, who produced one of his best performances this season at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
The Spaniard came out firing on all cylinders to steal the first set 6-3 in just 35 minutes.
Sharp on serve, the 22-year-old seemed to carry momentum into the second set, making a difference on the return game.
Nonetheless, within each game, the 17-ATP tiltist found his rhythm, while Alcaraz played a loose game, repeating a pattern seen in his latest match-ups at the tournament.
Focussed on his side of the net, the ninth seed kicked up a level to convert the break after his opponent hit a double fault in the seventh game.
The confidence-boosting moment led to a nearly flawless performance by the 27-year-old, who closed out 6-4, pushing the two-time Roland-Garros champion into a decider.
“I maintained positive thoughts all the time, even though I lost focus a few times during the second set,” added Alcaraz. “Playing someone like Andrey, when you lose focus on two or three points, it can cost you the set or almost the match. I just stayed strong mentally, and that’s what I’m most proud of.”
Clinically behind his service, Rublev won a higher percentage of first and second serve points, 88 and 86, respectively, committing just four unforced errors.
With a spot in the semifinals on the line, the pressure on Center Court was as high as the temperatures recorded throughout the week in Cincinnati.
Despite facing break points in an edgy fourth game, the 2021 runner-up went toe-to-toe with the No. 1 Spanish player.
Moreover, with a trade of breaks exchanged between the eighth and ninth games, the Moscow-born rallied from 3-5 down to tie the scores at 5-5.
However, when it mattered most, Alcaraz, who hit 15 unforced errors during the last chapter of the match, did not hesitate to push forward.
He held his nerve in the following game, and when Rublev double-faulted twice in a pivotal 12th game, conceding the break, the Murcia native claimed the set 7-5 and the match, staying in contention for the title.
All in all, each player finished with 27 winners against 34 unforced errors committed by Rublev and 32 by his rival.
Alcaraz will either face world number three Alexander Zverev or fifth seed Ben Shelton in the last four.