Carlos Alcaraz Expects a Tough Challenge Against Andrey Rublev Under the “Extreme Heat” at the Cincinnati Open

Carlos Alcaraz leads Andrey Rublev 3-1 in their head-to-head record and won their last meeting at Wimbledon.

Carlos Alcaraz Expects a Tough Challenge Against Andrey Rublev Under the “Extreme Heat” at the Cincinnati Open

Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev (via X/The Tennis Letter/Rublev fan)

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Carlos Alcaraz secured his spot in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open after a convincing straight sets win against Luca Nardi. The 22-year-old is now set to face Andrey Rublev for the fifth time in his career and second this year. Despite understanding that the match will be a tough challenge, Alcaraz is more worried about the extreme heat in Ohio.

The humid temperature at the Cincinnati Open has caused multiple players to retire due to health concerns. The WTA has a heat rule that protects women players from playing under certain weather conditions, but the ATP does not. The temperature has exceeded 30 °C at the tournament.

In fact, the extreme heat, led French star Arthur Rinderknech to collapse while playing against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round. However, Alcaraz has managed to adapt to the extreme heat as the tournament progresses. The Spaniard gave his best display in the event in the fourth round, beating Luca Nardi 6-1, 6-4.

The performance was far better than his display against Damir Dzumhur in the first round, when he had to battle hard to win in three sets in the second round. He will now face Rublev, who defeated Francisco Comesana 6-2, 6-3 in the fourth round, avenging his first-round loss to the Argentine star at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

Ahead of Alcaraz’s meeting with the Russian star, he revealed he aims to improve on his game, better than he did against Nardi. He then added that extreme weather conditions at the tournament will make the match difficult:

We all know how tough the conditions are this year, especially due to the humidity and extreme heat, so I’m glad to keep advancing rounds and giving myself a new opportunity to compete in a couple of days. Right now, I’m already thinking about that next challenge. Each match is harder than the previous one, so I still have to improve on some aspects if I want to keep progressing.

Alcaraz leads Rublev 3-1 in their head-to-head record, having won their last two meetings. Their only meeting this year came at the Wimbledon Championships fourth round as the Spaniard came from a set down to beat the Russian 6(5)-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Rublev has only won one clash against the World No.2 and that came at the quarter-finals of the 2024 Madrid Open.

Carlos Alcaraz admits his fourth-round win in Cincinnati was his best performance so far in the tournament

Carlos Alcaraz won 13 of the 14 points against Luca Nardi in just 27 minutes and was sprinting to an easy victory in the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open. But in the second set, he found himself 2-4 down against the Italian star before rallying back into the match after double faults from Nardi, and then winning all the remaining games.

Carlos Alcaraz CIncinnati Open 2025
Carlos Alcaraz (image via Instagram/Carlos Alcaraz)

During his on-court interview, he revealed that it was his best performance so far in the tournament. He added that he knows he’s getting better on the court as the Masters event goes on:

Undoubtedly, I think this has been my best match so far in the tournament. As I mentioned at the beginning of the week, my goal was to be a little better in each match I played, in each training session I had, something that I think I am achieving as the days go by, so I am proud of this.

The Cincinnati Open is Alcaraz’s first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner at the Wimbledon Championships final. Despite seeking to win it, the Spaniard’s comments since the start of the event has shown that he’s more focused on getting to his best level before the US Open, which kicks off on August 24.

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