Andrey Rublev has booked his place in a second consecutive Cincinnati Open quarterfinal after defeating Francisco Comesana in straight sets.
The Russian won 6-2, 6-3 to finally reach the last eight of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament in 2025, after several second and third-round exits.
His next opponent comes in the form of Carlos Alcaraz, who he played recently at the Wimbledon championships earlier this summer.
Rublev lost to Alcaraz in South West London in four sets, but the world number 11 says he has learned a lot from the result.
Photo by Visionhaus via Getty ImagesAndrey Rublev gives his thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz ahead of their match
When asked what he took from his Wimbledon match with the Spaniard, Rublev said: “That I must keep working, that it’s the right path; it’s the level I need to aim for to be able to compete.
“I just need to keep building, consolidating and improving, so that I can sustain that level for a long time, without any dips.
“At that level, one or two points, and you get broken. Against players like that, you have to play at that level for four hours without losing focus even slightly.
“That is what I am aiming for,” concluded the 27-year-old.
Andrey Rublev’s head-to-head record with Carlos Alcaraz
Before their bout at Wimbledon, Rublev and Alcaraz had played each other on the ATP Tour on three separate occasions.
In 2023, they had their first meeting at the ATP Finals, which went the way of the five-time Grand Slam champion.
Rublev beat him for the first and only time at the Madrid Open in 2024, overcoming the home favourite in three sets on clay.
They met once more later that season at the ATP Finals in the round robin, where Alcaraz emerged victorious once more.