MASON, OH − There were six tickets punched to the Cincinnati Open semifinals Aug. 15 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
There were ten seeded players in action Aug. 15, all on Center Court, with some of the top players in the world moving one step closer to the Rookwood Cup.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was eliminated by WTA No. 9 seed Elene Rybakina in a dominant 6-1, 6-4 performance while No. 3 Iga Swiatek cruised to a third-straight semifinal appearance in Mason.
ATP No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz shook off another shaky second set to defeat Andrey Rublev for his 15th consecutive ATP Masters 1000 victory and former champion Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton in straight sets.
The men’s and women’s doubles semifinals and men’s singles semifinals will be held in Mason on Saturday, Aug. 16. The full Order of Play can be found here.
The Enquirer provided real-time updates from the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals Aug. 15.
Jasmine Paolini advances to Cincinnati Open semifinals
WTA No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini just finished off her comeback victory over Coco Gauff, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Paolini, who is now 3-0 against Gauff in 2025, advances to the Cincinnati Open semifinals to face Veronika Kudermetova.
Jasmine Paolini will serve for the match against Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff double faulted twice in the eighth game and Jasmine Paolini got the break to take a 5-3 lead. She’ll now serve for the lead.
Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini tied in third set
It’s going to come down to the wire on Center Court in the final match Aug. 15 after Coco Gauff just evened things with Jasmine Paolini, 3-3.
Coco Gauff breaks Paolini for keep game
Coco Gauff just battled back for a much-needed break in the third game of the third set to trim Paolini’s advantage to 2-1.
Jasmine Paolini keeps momentum in third set against Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff continues to struggle on the serve with 14 double faults and Jasmine Paolini has opened up a 2-0 lead in the third set.
Jasmine Paolini takes second set over Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff has double faulted 11 times, and Jasmine Paolini just won the second set, 6-4.
Paolini gets key break, takes control of second set
Jasmine Paolini just broke Coco Gauff in the eighth game of the second set to take a 5-3 lead. She will serve for the set.
Coco Gauff takes first set from Jasmine Paolini
Coco Gauff, the WTA No. 2, is one set away from another trip to the Cincinnati Open semifinals after a 6-2 first-set victory over Jasmine Paolini.
Paolini leads 4-3 in the second set on Center Court.
Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini cap Aug. 15 night session on Center Court
WTA No. 2 Coco Gauff and No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini are set to battle in the final quarterfinal match of the tournament. The two have split four career meetings.
Alexander Zverev reaches Cincinnati Open semifinals
Former Cincinnati Open champion Alexander Zverev is now the sixth ATP player to reach the tournament’s semifinals four times since 2000 after a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ben Shelton.
Zverev will face ATP No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz for a spot in the final.
Alexander Zverev in full control against Ben Shelton on Center Court
Alexander Zverev just broke a frustrated Ben Shelton for the second time in the second set to take a 4-1 lead.
Alexander Zverev dominates first set against Ben Shelton
ATP No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev is one set away from advancing to the Cincinnati Open semifinals after a 6-2 win over Ben Shelton.
Alexander Zverev leads Ben Shelton on Center Court
The night session has started with a top 5 ATP match on Center Court between American Ben Shelton and former Cincinnati Open champion Alexander Zverev.
Zverev has jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first set by winning 75% of points on the second serve.
Veronika Kudermetova punches ticket to Cincinnati Open semifinals
On the Grandstand Court, Veronika Kudermetova just defeated qualifier Varvara Gracheva, 6-1, 6-2.
Kudermetova is now in the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event for the third time in her career. She will face either Coco Gauff or Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals.
Carlos Alcaraz defeats Andrey Rublev in Cincinnati Open quarterfinals
Carlos Alcaraz is through to the Cincinnati Open semifinals after breaking Andrey Rublev in the 12th game of the third set to win the match 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
The last of Rublev’s eight double faults ended the match as the 27-year-old launched a ball deep into the stands in frustration of his costly blunder.
Alcaraz advances to the semifinals to face either Ben Shelton or Alexander Zverev.
Veronika Kudermetova closing in on Cincinnati Open semifinal berth
On the Grandstand Court, Veronika Kudermetova won the first set over qualifier Varvara Gracheva, 6-1, and leads 4-1 in the second set.
Alcaraz, Rublev tied 5-5 in third set of Cincinnati Open quarterfinals
Just as Carlos Alcaraz built a 5-3 lead with a break, Rublev responded with a break of his own, then held serve to even the third set at 5-5.
Alcaraz, Rublev battle in third set on Center Court
Both Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev have held serve three times thus far in the third set. Alcaraz will serve the seventh game.
Andrey Rublev takes second set from Carlos Alcaraz
Andrey Rublev took advantage of 11 unforced Carlos Alcaraz errors in the second set to win it, 6-4.
Carlos Alcaraz leads second set against Andrey Rublev
Both Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev have held serve thus far in the second set with Alcaraz leading, 3-2.
Carlos Alcaraz takes first set of quarterfinal from Andrey Rublev
Carlos Alcaraz broke Andrey Rublev twice to take the opening set on Center Court, 6-3. Alcaraz took advantage of three double faults from Rublev, the ATP No. 9 seed, and won 75% of points on the second serve.
No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz now on Center Court against Andrey Rublev
World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz has opened a 2-1 first-set lead after a key break of No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev on Center Court.
Alcaraz is bidding for a 15th consecutive ATP Masters 1000 victory and is 3-1 all-time against Rublev, who is the World No. 11. With a win, Rublev would advance to the Cincinnati Open semifinals for the second time in his career (2021).
Elena Rybakina knocks out defending Cincinnati Open champion
No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina just beat WTA No. 1 and defending Cincinnati Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, 6-1, 6-4.
Rybakina finished the match with 11 aces and won 81% of points on the first serve, along with 3-of-5 break points.
Rybakina advances to her 11th WTA 1000 semifinal and first in Cincinnati to face WTA No. 3 Iga Swiatek.
Elena Rybakina one game away from beating top-ranked Sabalenka
Elena Rybakina survived a pair of break points to hold serve against Aryna Sabalenka to take a 5-3 lead in the second set.
Sabalenka just held serve to trim the deficit to 5-4 going into a break for new tennis balls. Sabalenka will need to break Rybakina to keep her Cincinnati Open title defense alive.
Elena Rybakina breaks Aryna Sabalenka in second set
Elena Rybakina has maintained all of the momentum on Center Court against Aryna Sabalenka, breaking the WTA No. 1 in the third game of the second set to take a 2-1 lead.
Elena Rybakina takes first set against Aryna Sabalenka
Elena Rybakina just dominated the first set against Aryna Sabalenka, 6-1.
Rybakina broke the WTA No. 1 twice and kept a 100%-win rate on the first serve.
Elena Rybakina off to strong start against WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka
Top-ranked WTA star and reigning Cincinnati Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is down 4-1 in the first set to No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina has won 100% of points on the first serve thus far and tallied three aces.
Iga Swiatek advances to the Cincinnati Open semifinals
Iga Swiatek is through to the Cincinnati Open semifinals for the third consecutive year after beating Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-4.
Swiatek will face either WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or WTA No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina for a spot in the final.
Kalinskaya putting up a fight against Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek looked to be cruising through to the semifinals, but Anna Kalinskaya just survived four match points to stay alive. Swiatek leads 5-4 and will serve for the match.
Iga Swiatek takes opening set from Anna Kalinskaya
WTA No. 3 Iga Swiatek has yet to lose a set at the Cincinnati Open and just took the opening set from Anna Kalinskaya, 6-3.
Swiatek dished out a pair of aces and won 86% of points on the first serve.
Medical timeout for Kalinskaya vs. Iga Swiatek
Each player held serve through three games on Center Court, though Anna Kalinskaya just needed a medical timeout before serving in the fourth game due to a calf injury.
Kalinskaya got her calf wrapped and is back on the court to serve to Swiatek, who leads 2-1.
Iga Swiatek opens on Center Court against Anna Kalinskaya
Iga Swiatek, the WTA No. 3, opened her quarterfinals match with a powerful ace against Anna Kalinskaya and Day 11 of the Cincinnati Open is underway.
Swiatek is looking to reach the Cincinnati Open semifinals for the third consecutive year while Kalinskaya is bidding for her fifth career victory over a top 5 opponent.
Cincinnati Open schedule Aug. 15
The night session features two Cincinnati quarterfinal rematches, beginning with a top 5 ATP showdown with No. 3 seed and former Cincinnati Open champion Alexander Zverev meets No. 5 Ben Shelton.
Zverev beat Shelton in last year’s Cincinnati quarterfinals.
To cap the night, No. 2 seed Coco Gauff will face No. 7 Jasmine Paolini. The two have split four career meetings, though Gauff cruised in straight sets against Paolini in the 2023 Cincinnati Open quarterfinals.
The full Order of Play, which includes doubles semifinals (WTA) and quarterfinals (ATP) can be found here.
The Enquirer will update this story.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Open quarterfinals ATP, WTA results, schedule | Replay
Reporting by Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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