Alcaraz beats Zverev to set up Cincinnati final with Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev to reach the Cincinnati Open final, setting up another showdown with Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz extended his Masters 1000 winning streak, while Sinner advanced past Terence Atmane

Cincinnati: Carlos Alcaraz advanced to his seventh consecutive tour-level final by defeating an ailing Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-3 at the Cincinnati Open.

The victory set up a final clash with Jannik Sinner — a rematch of the Rome, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon title matches earlier this season.

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“I’m really looking forward to playing against him once again,” said the Spaniard, who will face Sinner for the fourth time this year and the 14th time overall. “We raise our level to the top and we bring a really beautiful tennis to the match. I’m ready to take the challenge. I’m ready to see the things that I did wrong in the last match and try to be better on that side on Monday.”

At 22 years and three months, Alcaraz is the third-youngest player to reach nine Masters 1000 finals after Rafael Nadal (20) and Novak Djokovic (21), according to ATP statistics.

Through to his ninth ATP Masters 1000 final (7–1 record) and his first on hard courts since claiming the Indian Wells crown last year, Alcaraz extended his winning streak to 16 matches at this level, following his title runs in Monte-Carlo and Rome.

Earlier, defending champion Sinner produced a rock-solid display to beat World No. 136 Terence Atmane 7-6(4), 6-2 and reach his eighth ATP Masters 1000 final.

With his 86-minute victory, the World No. 1 notched his 200th career win on hard courts and extended his winning streak on the surface to 26 matches.

Despite the defeat, Atmane climbed 67 spots to a career-high No. 69 in the ATP Live Rankings. The 23-year-old is now scheduled to compete in the US Open qualifying event beginning Monday.