Cincinnati
Zverev sinks Shelton to set Alcaraz SF in Cincinnati
Zverev has won 16 of his past 18 matches in Ohio
August 16, 2025
Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Alexander Zverev in action at the Cincinnati Open on Friday.
By ATP Staff
Alexander Zverev romped to an unexpectedly easy 6-2, 6-2 victory over Toronto champion Ben Shelton Friday night to set a Cincinnati Open semi-final showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.
Dominating Shelton’s second serve and neutral baseline exchanges, Zverev needed just one hour, 17 minutes minutes to snap the American’s nine-match winning streak and reach the semi-finals for the fourth time in his past four appearances.
Zverev’s biggest concern of the night was his own health. He called for the doctor at 2-1 in the second set as he appeared to be struggling with this breathing.
“Right now I’m not feeling too great… I’m not sure what happened,” the 2021 Cincinnati champion said. “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. 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 be be 100 per cent tomorrow.”
After failing to win a match in his first six outings at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre in Mason, Ohio, Zverev has now won 16 of his past 18 matches at the event. His two losses? A tight two-set defeat to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the 2023 semi-finals and a third-set tie-break loss to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in last year’s semi-finals.
The German also improved to 4-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Shelton, who would have guaranteed his rise inside the Top 5 of the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday had he advanced to the semis.
Shelton served 12 aces but won just four of 19 second-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Zverev won 81 per cent of first-serve points and saved the lone break point he faced.
Zverev leads an intriguing Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alcaraz 6-5. He has won five of their seven meetings on hard courts, including their most recent clash at last November’s Nitto ATP Finals.