(Video) Ahead of Cincinnati Final Against Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz Heads Straight to Practice Session, 1 Hour After Semifinal Win

Carlos Alcaraz is chasing his sixth title of the season and his career’s eighth Masters 1000 title at the Cincinnati Masters. He only has to beat Jannik Sinner now.

(Video) Ahead of Cincinnati Final Against Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz Heads Straight to Practice Session, 1 Hour After Semifinal Win

Carlos Alcaraz worked on his serves ahead of his match against Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, The Tennis Letter, Jannik Sinner HQ)

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Carlos Alcaraz committed four double faults against a struggling Alexander Zverev during their match in the Cincinnati Masters semifinal on Saturday (August 16). To stop this from happening in the final, he wasted no time in heading straight to the practice courts about an hour after the match.

Alcaraz could be seen working with coach Samuel Lopez on his serves. In the final, he won’t be facing an easy opponent as the latter is none other than his arch-rival Jannik Sinner, against whom he has scheduled his career’s 14th match.

Here’s the video:

They will be facing each other for the fourth time this season after their clashes in the finals of the Italian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. Alcaraz won the first two tournaments and failed to defend his crown at SW19 with a four-set defeat.

The Spaniard has never captured a title in the two Masters 1000 hard-court tournaments held before the US Open. In Cincinnati, he came close to lifting the title in 2023, but he failed to cross the final hurdle in the form of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

So far in his career, the five-time Grand Slam champion has played eight Masters 1000 finals, losing only once (in Cincinnati to Djokovic). Two of these titles he won this season: at the Monte Carlo Masters by beating Lorenzo Musetti and at the Italian Open final by beating Sinner.

In their head-to-head matchups, the Murcia native holds an 8-5 lead. Also, they will be facing each other for the second time in a Masters 1000 final following their Rome Open clash.

Last year in Cincinnati, Sinner lifted the title by beating home favorite Frances Tiafoe, but Alcaraz failed to go past his opening-round opponent, Gael Monfils. Alcaraz will also inch closer to reclaiming his No.1 spot from Sinner if he wins and will also have another opportunity during the US Open, where Sinner doubled his Grand Slam tally last year but Alcaraz suffered a shocking second-round exit.

Terence Atmane reacts after losing the Cincinnati Masters semifinal to Jannik Sinner

Some moments before walking onto the P&G Center Court for his semifinal clash with Jannik Sinner, Terence Atmane gifted the first seed a Pokemon card as the latter celebrated his 24th birthday. Sinner later revealed he received a Pikachu card.

Jannik Sinner, Terence Atmane
Jannik Sinner, Terence Atmane (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

Atmane, for the first time in his career, reached a semifinal of a Masters 1000 tournament. En route to his defeat, he knocked out three seeded players, including Holger Rune in the quarterfinals and Taylor Fritz in the fourth round. He gave his all during his clash with Sinner and was also on the verge of taking the first set off him, but in the end, Sinner prevailed with a 7-6(4), 6-2 scoreline.

I gave my all today but it wasn’t enough against a true [alien emoticon]

Terence Atmane wrote on his Instagram story

Check out his post here:

Terence Atmane's Instagram story
Terence Atmane’s Instagram story

The World No.1 took a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head encounter versus the Frenchman. Sinner is chasing his career’s fifth Masters 1000 title. The last trophy in this category he lifted at the Shanghai Masters in 2024 by beating Novak Djokovic.

Before Cincinnati, Sinner had played four finals and won two titles- at the Australian Open by beating Alexander Zverev and at Wimbledon by beating Carlos Alcaraz. He has never defended a Masters 1000 title, and if he beats Alcaraz in the final, he will become the first man since Roger Federer (2014-2015) to defend the Cincinnati Masters trophy.

The 24-year-old will also be playing his career’s eighth final in Masters 1000 tournaments. He has so far captured four titles in his category.

Also read: (In Pictures) Reilly Opelka Announces War With ATP After Leaking the Fines for Criticizing Officials at Cincinnati