CINCINNATI: World number one Aryna Sabalenka and second-ranked Coco Gauff were sent crashing out of the Cincinnati Open on Friday as five-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz fought off a fierce challenge from Andrey Rublev to reach the semi-finals.

Top seed and defending champion Sabalenka had no answer 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 at the hands of seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini.

Spain’s second-ranked Alcaraz had his difficulties, but he broke Rublev in the final game of a tense duel to emerge a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 winner and will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev, who brought fifth-seeded Canadian Open champion Ben Shelton’s run to an end with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.

Zverev earned a 4-1 lead in the second set as Shelton angrily tossed his racquet on the changeover, and the 2021 champion polished off the win on a second match point.

“I came out today and probably felt the best I’ve felt in a few months. Was feeling the ball incredibly well from both sides,” Zverev, who won the Cincinnati title in 2021, said.

But the German struggled physically and called for the doctor in the second set. He now has 24 hours to try to get fit.

“I’m not feeling too great now, but I have a day to get fresh,” Zverev said. “I’m not sure what happened. In the first set I started feeling not so great and it got progressively worse. But I’m in the semi-finals and I’ll do everything I can to be 100% tomorrow.”

The 22-year-old Alcaraz was far from his best, committing 15 unforced errors and three double faults in the decider, but capitalising on his lone match point, courtesy of a Rublev double fault, to secure 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,” said Alcaraz, whose five titles so far this year include the French Open as well as Masters 1000 trophies in Monte Carlo and Rome.

“I maintained the positive thoughts even if I lost focus a bit in the second set. 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.”

Alcaraz, winner of 37 of his last 39 matches, advanced to his 12th Masters 1000 semi-final, equalling the mark of world number one Jannik Sinner, who faces French qualifier Terence Atmane in the other semi-final.

RYBAKINA REVENGE

Kazakh ninth seed Rybakina delivered a fine performance to secure her seventh career win over a top-ranked player, setting up a blockbuster last-four clash with six-time major winner Iga Swiatek in a showdown of Wimbledon champions.

Rybakina fired 11 aces throughout the match, earning an impressive 81% of points on her first serve, while saving all five break points she faced as she secured her fifth win over Sabalenka in 12 meetings and avenging a loss to the Belarusian in Berlin two months ago.

“I’m happy with the serve. It was the key,” former world number three Rybakina said. “We’re both big hitters. Today I served really well. If Aryna serves well, it’s completely different. Hopefully I continue like this.”

Rybakina has won her last three matches against Swiatek, all played this season.

Earlier, Swiatek advanced to her first WTA 1000 semi-final in 15 months after beating Russian 28th seed Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-4.

Kalinskaya, who had defeated Swiatek in their only previous meeting, put up a spirited fight by saving four match points, before the Polish third seed converted her fifth opportunity on serve to seal the victory.

“I just played my game,” Swiatek said. “For sure, it wasn’t easy. Just happy I was solid and had the intensity to apply pressure.”

Gauff, the 2023 Cincinnati champion, had looked well on her way after a quick first set against Paolini.

But her mistakes caught up with her as she was broken eight times by the Italian, who overcame plenty of errors of her own as well as a twisted ankle suffered early in the third set.

“It was so tough at the start, I was running and trying to put the ball inside the court,” Paolini, the French Open and Wimbledon runner-up last year, said.

“I started to feel the ball better. I tried to fight every point and it worked. I’m really happy. Thank you for cheering for me ... because we are in the States ... Coco is from here,” added the Italian, who will face Veronika Kudermetova for a place in the final.

Russian Kudermetova carved out a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 victory over Varvara Gracheva to reach the semis of Cincinnati for the first time.

Kudermetova appears to be back to the form that once carried her into the top-10 as she earned her first WTA 1000 last-four spot since 2023.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2025