Carlos Alcaraz is one step closer to returning to the Cincinnati Open final after his victory over Andrey Rublev.
Alcaraz defeated Rublev in three sets, winning 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 to advance to the semifinals in Ohio, where he will come up against Alexander Zverev.
The Spaniard’s month-long break post-Wimbledon has served him well during the North American hard-court swing, in which he has massively improved on his finish in Cincinnati from last year, when he bowed out of the tournament in his opening match.
With his triumph over Rublev, Alcaraz continues to make history on the ATP Tour, having just surpassed Roger Federer‘s Masters series record.
Carlos Alcaraz overtakes Roger Federer at the Cincinnati Open
The world number two has a win rate at ATP Masters 1000 competitions of 78.1% after overcoming the Russian, with a record of 82 wins and 23 losses.
Since the inception of the format in 1990, he now ranks third in win percentage, overtaking Federer, who finished his career on 77.9%.
He also leads his rival, Jannik Sinner, with the Italian set to face Terence Atmane in the semifinals in the hope of continuing his title defence.
The only two players Alcaraz trails in win percentage at Masters events are Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Carlos Alcaraz’s last visit to the Cincinnati Open final
The five-time major champion is looking to make a second appearance in the Cincinnati Open final, having reached the championship match in 2023.
He made his third hard-court Masters final in Cincinnati that year after beating Tommy Paul and Hubert Hurkacz en route.
In the final, Alcaraz was faced with Djokovic, who he had beaten in the Wimbledon final earlier that summer to clinch a maiden crown at the All England Club.
After taking the first set off the Serb, he was narrowly beaten in both the second and third-set tiebreaks, as his opponent secured a 39th Masters title.
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