Carlos Alcaraz headed past Luca Nardi to reach the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals.
The 22-year-old failed to win a match in Ohio a year ago, as ATP veteran Gael Monfils upset Alcaraz in three sets.
But that is not the case in 2025 as the Spaniard has gradually increased his level with each match he has played.
Standing between Alcaraz and the last eight in Cincinnati were Luca Nardi and the world number two passed the test with flying colours.’
Luca Nardi wishes Carlos Alcaraz ‘luck’ at the Cincinnati Open after losing their fourth round match
Carlos Alcaraz took just 80 minutes to defeat Nardi at the Cincinnati Open.
Despite the delayed start to his match due to the wet weather, the five-time Grand Slam champion had little trouble booking his spot in the next round.
After a slow start to the tournament, Alcaraz is now hitting his stride and he maintained his unbeaten record against Nardi.
Post-match, the Italian took to Instagram to send the five-time Grand Slam champion a message of support for the rest of his Cincinnati Open campaign. “Thank you @cincytennis, it has been amazing,” he wrote.
“Good luck for the rest of the tournament Carlos Alcaraz. Now focus on New York.” Alcaraz later responded in the comments “Grande lukita!,” with praying hand emojis.
Who will Carlos Alcaraz play next?
Against Nardi, Alcaraz won 13 of the first 14 points in the opening set and dropped just one game as he wrapped it up in just 27 minutes.
Nardi opened up a 4-2 lead in the second set, but Alcaraz recovered from a slow start to win four successive games to seal a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
Alcaraz will now take on Andrey Rublev for a spot in the Cincinnati Open semifinals, and he has a healthy head-to-head record against the Russian.
Alcaraz has won three of their four matches, including their most recent encounter in the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships, where Alcaraz beat Rublev in four sets.
This will be their first meeting on an outdoor hard court, and fans are looking forward to what looks set to be a compelling match-up.
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