Second seed Carlos Alcaraz has survived a three-set battle against Russian ninth seed Andrey Rublev, claiming a 6-3 4-6 7-5 win to reach the last four of the Cincinnati Open.
The Spaniard was far from his best, committing 15 unforced errors and three double faults in the decider, but capitalised on his lone match point courtesy of a Rublev double fault.
It was his 15th consecutive Masters 1000 win.
“Playing someone like Andrey, when you lose focus on two or three points, it can cost you the set or the match. I just stayed strong mentally and that’s what I’m most proud of,” Alcaraz said.
“It’s just accepting the moment, accepting that I am playing a third set, that it’s going to be a really tough battle, and I love that,” he added after setting up a showdown with either third seed Alex Zverev or American fifth seed Ben Shelton.
Five-times grand slam champion Alcaraz, winner of 37 of his last 39 matches, advanced to his 12th Masters 1000 semi, equalling the mark of Italian top seed Jannik Sinner, who faces Frenchman Terence Atmane in the other last-four clash.
Content Source: www.perthnow.com.au