World No. 1 Jannik Sinner to clash with Carlos Alcaraz in Cincinnati Open final

Cincinnati [US], August 17 (ANI): Carlos Alcaraz is set to clash with World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the Cincinnati Open final following the victories of the two top players in their respective semifinals on Saturday.
To advance into the final of the Cincinnati Open, Sinner overcame France's Terence Atmane in straight sets, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2. The first set was a stressful one, with each player retaining their serve until the tiebreak, which Italian Sinner won by a score of 7-4.
It was Sinner's 26th successive hard-court win and his 12th in a row on all surfaces. Alcaraz advanced to his seventh consecutive tour-level final by beating an ailing Alexander Zverev. The 6-4, 6-3 victory set up a final showdown with Sinner.
The Cincinnati Final is set to take place on Monday; this match marks their fourth consecutive meeting in a tournament final. Sinner won their most recent encounter at Wimbledon, where the Italian defeated Alcaraz.
"It was a very, very tough challenge. Every time you play against something completely new, it's difficult, but playing against this guy in the later stages of a tournament is even more difficult. The pressure is higher, and you know they deserve to be there... He has beaten incredible players throughout his wins," Sinner said as quoted from the ATP Tour website.
"It's never easy playing against someone that you know is not feeling 100 per cent. It's even tougher when it comes from Sascha, such a great player, such a great person off the court. We have a really good relationship," Alcaraz said.
Earlier, Alcaraz booked his semifinal spot in a nervy, error-filled outing against Andrey Rublev. The number two in the world has seen his share of highs and lows in the tournament.
But Alcaraz prevailed by 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in a match that went to an exciting decider, despite the 15 unforced errors and three double faults in the final set.
Sinner continued his grass court win streak with a brilliant victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the semifinals. Sinner produced a clutch performance, reminding fans of his evolution and maturity, beating Felix by 6-0, 6-2. (ANI)