Jannik Sinner reached the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open with a hard-fought 4-6 7-5 6-4 victory over Andrey Rublev, avenging last week's defeat to the Russian in Montreal.

Sinner was eliminated from the Canadian Open by Rublev at his last tournament, having missed the Paris Olympic Games due to a bout of tonsillitis.

He fought back from a set down to avoid a repeat in blustery conditions in Ohio on Saturday, having looked to be in trouble when he faced two break points at a set down.

The world number one saved both of those points before recovering from an awkward fall to win a 26-shot rally at 4-4, ultimately serving out the second set at the second opportunity.

Sinner then held off something of a third-set resurgence from Rublev to seal a gruelling two-hour, 25-minute victory, before expressing pride at the way he responded to adversity.

"It took a lot of mental strength today," Sinner said after his win. "It was very tough conditions, very windy. 

"In the first set he started very well and I didn't play my best tennis but in the second set, I felt I had a lot of chances. I waited for my chance. I am very happy to make the semis."

Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka teed up a heavyweight semi-final clash with Iga Swiatek in the women's draw, easing to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Liudmila Samsonova.

Sabalenka needed just one hour and 19 minutes to seal her win, reeling off 10 of the last 13 games to level her all-time head-to-head record with Samsonova at 2-2.

Data Debrief: Sabalenka joins exclusive club

Sabalenka is into her fourth semi-final at the Cincinnati Open, a joint-record at the competition among WTA players in the Open Era.

Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams and Simona Halep are the only other women to achieve that feat.

Jannik Sinner began his Cincinnati Open campaign with a hard-fought 6-4 7-5 win over Alex Michelsen, bouncing back from his injury scare at the Canadian Open last week.

Sinner fell to a quarter-final defeat to Andrey Rublev in Montreal last time out, appearing to struggle with a hip issue throughout that loss after missing the Paris Olympics due to a bout of tonsillitis. 

However, the Italian played down any concerns over his fitness ahead of his last-32 match in Cincinnati, where he was pushed all the way by Michelsen but held firm to advance.

Sinner had to save eight break points in one hour and 52 minutes on court, committing as many unforced errors (19) as his American opponent.

However, breaks in the very first game of the opener and the penultimate game of the second set proved decisive for the Australian Open winner, who will now face either Sebastian Baez or Jordan Thompson for a quarter-final place.

Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas bounced back from his first-round Canadian Open exit at the hands of Kei Nishikori, fighting from a set and a break down to beat Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6 6-4 6-3.

Speaking after his win, Tsitsipas – who will face Jack Draper or Jaume Munar next – said: "I was down a break, and I managed to keep on fighting and get the break back. 

"Suddenly I felt like I was starting to figure out what really worked behind his serve. He made a few double faults, and I took that chance, got myself in the lead, and I think once I started reminding myself of my best qualities as a player, these things really started working."

Data Debrief: Sinner looking to stay perfect

Sinner's victory improved his record on hard courts to 25-2 for the season, and a first quarter-final berth at Cincinnati is now within his sights.

He has reached at least the last eight at all five ATP 1000 Masters tournaments he has played this year, though his only such title came in Miami in March.

Alexei Popyrin declared his victory at the Canadian Open “means the world” after he defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets to claim his maiden ATP 1000 title.

Popyrin won 6-2 6-4 to become the first player to win the Canadian Open title in their first main draw appearance in 17 years. The last player to do so was 24-time Grand Slam singles winner Novak Djokovic in 2003.

The 25-year-old defied the odds to beat favourite and world number six Rublev in his third defeat of a top-10 opponent in Montreal.

For the current world number 62, it was a sign that all the effort had been worth it.

"It means the world, for all the hard work I've put in over the years, all the sacrifices I have made," said Popyrin.

"Not just me, but my family, my girlfriend, my team, everybody around me. They have sacrificed their whole lives for me and for me to win this for them is just amazing."

The victory also makes Popyrin the first Australian to win a Masters 1000 since Lleyton Hewitt won Indian Wells in 2003.

He became the fourth-lowest ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion, just two weeks after being defeated by Alexander Zverev on clay courts in the round of 16 in the Olympics men’s singles.

Popyrin fared better against Rublev, who remained optimistic about his performance despite the upset.

“It's a very positive and really good week. [It’s a] really big step forward, and I feel proud of myself that I was able to be really good all the week mentally,” reflected Rublev.

“If we compare my match against him at Monte-Carlo when I was losing, I was behaving 10 times more, and it was first round.

“Here it was a final. Much more pressure. Yes, I still showed a bit emotions today, but compare the matches when I was losing the same way, I think I did much better job.

“That's why I had a little chance in the second set, but it was just not my time I guess.”

Alexei Popyrin overcame Andrey Rublev in straight sets to win his maiden ATP 1000 title at the Canadian Open.

Popyrin won 6-2 6-4 to complete a remarkable run in Montreal, becoming the fourth-lowest-ranked player to win an ATP 1000 title in the process.

The Australian saved the three break points he faced in set one and, despite dropping a game in the second set, immediately hit back to take the impetus away from Rublev, who had stunned world number one Jannik Sinner en route to the final.

It marked Popyrin's third victory over a top-10 opponent at the tournament, while he also snapped Sebastian Korda's eight-match winning streak in the semi-finals.

Data Debrief: Popyrin ends Aussie wait

Popyrin became the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt to win a Masters 1000 trophy.

That victory for Hewitt came at Indian Wells in 2003, when Popyrin was only three years old.

Andrey Rublev said reaching the Canadian Open was "worth the wait", while it also backed up his decision to skip the Paris Olympics.

Rublev made the call not to participate at Roland-Garros as he instead focused on readying himself for the North American swing.

And the Russian's US Open preparations stepped up another gear as he defeated Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 6-2 on Sunday to reach the final of the Canadian Open for the first time in his career.

Rublev had to overcome a rain delay in the process of defeating the Italian in Montreal.

"The wait has been worth it. I'm happy to be in my first Canadian final." Rublev said, as reported by the ATP's official website.

"I just want to recover, rest well and be ready for [the final].

"The idea [of not going to the Olympics] was to be more ready for Canada, so if I'm in the final it means we did really well."

Rublev will go up against someone who was competing at the Olympics when he faces Alexei Popyrin on Monday.

In his second match of the day, Popyrin ended Sebastian Korda's eight-match winning streak to prevail 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 and progress to the first ATP 1000 final of his career.

"It means the world, it's an amazing achievement for myself to be honest, and sometimes you have to pat yourself on the back," said Popyrin.

"I'll do that, but it's all hands on deck and back to work.

"It was a topsy-turvy first set with some breaks here and there. I had some points at 5-4 but played some sloppy points and didn't convert.

"I just stayed mentally strong and I knew exactly what I was going to do on my next break point if I got an opportunity."

Popyrin (62) is the lowest-ranked player to reach the final of the Canadian Open in the men's singles since Harel Levy, a qualifier, in 2000.

Andrey Rublev pulled off a shock in the Canadian Open quarter-final, knocking out an ailing Jannik Sinner in three sets.

The world number one pulled out of the Olympics due to illness and appeared to be struggling with a recurring hip injury as he was beaten 6-3 1-6 6-2 in Montreal on Saturday.

In a rain-hit match, Rublev took the first set before Sinner rallied to force a decider but he could not retain his momentum as the Russian snapped his eight-match winning streak on hard courts.

"It was a really great match of mine. I was playing really well today, and I'm happy that I was able to win," Rublev said.

"I don't know, not much to say, because I still, for the moment, really don't understand what's happening, because Jannik is an amazing player and he's playing unbelievable for the past two years.

"I was just hoping that I would be able to fight with him, to show great tennis. In the end, I think we had a lot of great rallies, a lot of long rallies.

"To be able to win this kind of match, of course, it's always special. I needed those matches, especially after some bad moments this year. So, of course I'm happy."

Since the start of the 2020 season, Rublev is now one of four players to defeat the ATP's number one on multiple surfaces, along with Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune.

Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev prevailed in straight sets against Rune earlier on Saturday to reach the last eight with a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) win.

Excluding team events, Zverev is now in an 11th ATP-level quarter-final in 2024. It is the most of any player this season, while the German (11) is one of just two to reach 10+ ATP event QFs this year, along with Sinner (10).

Andrey Rublev suffered a shock early exit at Wimbledon on Tuesday as numerous other seeds progressed through to the second round.

Rublev, a 17-time ATP Tour champion, reached the quarter-finals at this tournament last year but failed to make it past his opener this time after Argentine Francisco Comesana upset the sixth seed.

Comesana triumphed 6-4 5-7 6-2 7-6 (7-5) on No.2 Court, where play was disrupted by heavy downpour, as Rublev became the highest-ranked male player to fall so far at the All England Club.

Unlike Rublev, fourth seed Alexander Zverev coasted past Roberto Carballes Baenai in straight sets on No. 1 Court.

"I want to compete, I want to do well here at Wimbledon. It's the most historic tennis tournament that we have," Zverev said after reaching the second round for the seventh time in eight attempts at this tournament.

"I've struggled over the years here on these beautiful courts, unfortunately, but I feel different this year."

Hubert Hurcakz progressed through his first challenge, though the seventh seed conceded the first set before defeating Radu Albot 5-7 6-4 6-3 6-4, smashing 24 aces in the process.

Alex de Minaur headed into this year's edition as the ninth favourite and his opening performance befitted that status, overcoming fellow Australian James Duckworth 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4).

Stefanos Tsitsipas fought off Taro Daniel with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 7-5 in just under two-and-a-half hours as the 11th seed aims to go further than his personal-best fourth-round appearances in 2018 and five years later.

It was not so straightforward for British number one Jack Draper, who secured a hard-fought 3-6 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-3 victory over Elias Ymer under the lights on Centre Court.

Draper is in fine form, having won the Stuttgart Open in June and defeating Carlos Alcaraz at the Queen's Club Championship, and will next meet fellow British player Cameron Norrie.

World number 42 Norrie had little trouble in his first-round test, dispatching Facundo Diaz Acosta in straight sets on No.3 Court.

Data Debrief: Comesana on cloud nine as Zverev powers through

Comesana may have expected to compete with Rublev in his first-round encounter, but this was only his second appearance on grass courts of his career at any level, professional or junior.

The world number 122 managed to battle to a hard-fought triumph after a clinical showing, converting four of five break points he earned.

Zverev had no such difficulty in progressing to the second round, powering 18 aces at an event he has never reached the quarter-finals in.

The German is now 12-2 for the year in major action, having reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and the showpiece at the French Open before defeat to Alcaraz.

Andrey Rublev makes a s exit in the French Open third round after a straight-sets defeat to Matteo Arnaldi on Thursday.

The world number 35 held his nerve to win 7-6 (8-6), 6-2, 6-4, as the sixth seed gradually lost his composure.

Arnaldi rallied in the first set tie-break, scoring three consecutive points to seal it, breaking Rublev’s spirit as his frustration mounted, resulting in several racquet smashes on his way to also losing the second.

While Rublev improved in the third set, Arnaldi fought all the way to ensure his place in the fourth round, where he will face either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Zhang Zhizhen.

Data Debrief: Arnaldi rises to the occasion

Arnaldi has claimed his maiden Grand Slam match win over an ATP top-10. He is the 5th Italian in the past decade to defeat an ATP top-10 opponent at Roland Garros after Cecchinato, Sinner, Fognini and Sonego.

Rublev was aiming for a landmark win, but fell short, meaning he will have to wait for his 225th ATP match victory since the start of 2020.

Andrey Rublev booked his place in the French Open second round after battling past Taro Daniel in four sets at Roland Garros.

The sixth seed, who is a two-time quarter-finalist at the season's second major, prevailed 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 7-5 in just over three hours on Court Simonne-Mathieu.

Rublev triumphed on clay at the Madrid Open earlier this month and dominated the opening set, though his Japanse opponent pegged him back in a second-set tie-break.

However, the 26-year-old was not to be denied, taking the next two sets to book a showdown with either Pedro Martinez or Thiago Agustin Tirante in the second round.

Data debrief

It is now 10 years since Rublev was crowned the boys' singles champion at Roland Garros, while he reached the first of his two men's quarter-finals in 2020.

One of the most consistent players in recent years, he has now won 223 ATP matches since the start of the 2020 season, with only Daniil Medvedev (225) registering more during that time.

Carlos Alcaraz says he is feeling better ahead of the French Open, but still has concerns about ongoing issues with his right forearm.

The world number three reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros 12 months ago, losing out to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, but his preparations have been far from ideal this time around.

Alcaraz has been dogged by an injury to his right forearm during the clay-court season, which forced him to withdraw from Barcelona and Rome, while his fitness struggles were evident in his Madrid Open quarter-final defeat by Andrey Rublev.

The Spaniard admits he may have to adapt his game plan against J.J. Wolf in the opening round, but he was optimistic on media day in the French capital.

"I'm feeling better," he smiled. "At least I can practise and hit balls without pain. That's a really good point for me. I came here to this tournament with not as many matches as I wanted, but I'm focusing on practice.

"I'm not feeling any pain when I step on the court in practice, but I'm still thinking about it when I am hitting forehands. I'm a little bit scared about hitting every forehand 100 per cent, so I have to change it in my first match.

"It's Roland Garros, and it's a really special tournament. Everybody wants to have good results here. This tournament is one of the main reasons that I'm practising every day. I want to be a better player, to be able to win these kinds of tournaments.

"I'm practising well. I'm getting in rhythm. I'm getting confidence [from] the practice and that is really important, and I think I don't need too many matches to get to my 100 per cent level."

Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from next week's Italian Open due to the arm injury that troubled him at the Madrid Open, where Andrey Rublev and Felix Auger Aliassime will face off in Sunday's final.

Alcaraz saw his bid for a third successive Madrid Open crown halted by Rublev in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, the Spaniard being pegged back after taking the opening set in a 4-6 6-3 6-2 loss.

The two-time grand slam champion – who had won his previous 24 matches at Spanish clay-court events – looked tired throughout that match and has now withdrawn from next week's ATP 1000 Masters event in Rome.

In a post to X, Alcaraz wrote: "I felt pain after playing in Madrid, discomfort in my arm. 

"Today I had some tests and I have muscle edema in the pronator teres, a consequence of my last injury. Unfortunately I won't be able to play in Rome. I need rest to recover and be able to play 100 per cent pain-free." 

Alcaraz only has limited time to recover if he is to feature at the year's second major, with the French Open due to begin on May 20.

Alcaraz's conqueror Rublev advanced to the final of the Madrid event on Friday, producing a commanding performance to beat American Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-3 in the last four.

Rublev entered the Madrid Open on a run of four straight losses, but he is now into his third ATP Masters 1000 final since the start of 2023 – a tally only bettered by Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev (four apiece).

His opponent in Sunday's showpiece match will be Auger Aliassime, who progressed by virtue of a walkover on Friday after semi-final opponent Jiri Lehecka was forced to retire through injury.

Lehecka left the court for treatment on a back injury after just six games, with Auger Aliassime having held serve for 3-3. He only managed to play three further points on his return before calling the match to a halt in a disappointing ending to the night session.

Data Debrief: Lucky Auger Aliassime

Auger Aliassime would surely have preferred to win his semi-final the traditional way, but the Canadian should be fresh for Sunday's final after spending very limited time on court.

He has progressed through three rounds at this year's Madrid Open courtesy of a retirement or walkover, with Jakub Mensik and Jannik Sinner also stricken.

He is the first player since 1990 to progress through three rounds via retirement or walkover at a single ATP Masters event.

Carlos Alcaraz saw his hopes of a third straight Madrid Open crown dashed on Wednesday, as Andrey Rublev fought back to seal a statement quarter-final win over the defending champion.

Alcaraz had been pushed close in the last 16 by Jan-Lennard Struff on Tuesday, requiring two tie-breaks to see off the German in three sets, and those exertions seemed to take their toll as he produced a below-par display on Wednesday.

Seven unforced errors from Rublev helped the home favourite take the opener, but he appeared to tire from there as his seventh-seeded opponent fired in 27 winners in a 4-6 6-3 6-2 victory.

Rublev broke Alcaraz's serve in the first and fifth games of the decider, also serving impressively to deny the Spaniard a single break point after a nervous first hold. 

Alcaraz's exit ended home interest in the tournament, just one day after five-time champion Rafael Nadal was dumped out in the last 16 by Jiri Lehecka.

Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis, Rublev said: "I can't believe that I was able to stay calm throughout the match. I didn't say a word and even I'm impressed by that!

"I want to believe that I have been working on this because if not, then I'm stupid. I just thought to myself to keep trying, keep fighting, keep believing in yourself."

Data Debrief: Major scalp for Rublev

To say Rublev entered Wednesday's match as the underdog would be an understatement. Alcaraz was looking to become the first player to win three straight Madrid Open singles titles, and was 24-0 in Spanish clay-court events since the start of 2022.

Rublev, though, was not overawed by the occasion and punished a sluggish performance from the world number three. Wednesday's win was his first over a top-three opponent since 2022, and he will now face either Taylor Fritz or Francisco Cerundolo in the last four.

Jan-Lennard Struff made life difficult for Carlos Alcaraz, but the reigning Madrid Champion eventually made it through.

Alcaraz had won both of his opening games with the minimum of fuss, but he needed three sets to get beyond Struff, who won a second-set tie-break.

However, Alcaraz eventually prevailed in the decider, clinching a 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-4) victory.

Alcaraz, who is in the hunt for a third straight title in Madrid, will now face seventh-seed Andrey Rublev for a place in the last four.

Data Debrief: Prodigal son matches the master

There have been plenty of comparisons between Alcaraz and his fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

And with his win on Tuesday, Alcaraz matched Nadal's record for the longest winning run at the Madrid Open, at 14 matches, since the tournament began in 2002.

World number five Andrey Rublev was sensationally defaulted after being accused of swearing at a line judge in the deciding set of his semi-final at the Dubai Open.

The combustible Russian was trailing 6-5 in the third against Alexander Bublik when he appeared to say something to the line judge.

ATP supervisor Roland Herfel came down to the court accompanied by a Russian speaker, who claimed Rublev had sworn in his native language.

Rublev protested, insisting he was speaking in English, while Bublik also backed his opponent.

“I didn’t say ‘f******’. I swear to God. This is huge. I swear to God,” said Rublev.

The offence would usually merit a warning in the first instance, but the 26-year-old was defaulted by umpire Miriam Bley amid jeers from the crowd in Dubai.

It was a controversial end to a tight match, with Kazakhstan’s Bublik progressing to the final 6-7 (4) 7-6 (5) 6-5.

Carlos Alcaraz snapped a three-match losing streak as he beat Andrey Rublev  7-5 6-2 in his penultimate round-robin contest of the ATP Finals in Turin.

It was the first encounter between the Spaniard and Russian, with the latter hoping to bounce back from Monday’s loss to compatriot Daniil Medvedev.

Instead he found himself pinned back by world number two Alcaraz, who never faced a break point and kept his hopes of advancing from the the Red Group alive with his first win at the year-end event after missing the last edition with an abdominal injury.

Alcaraz’s critical break came in the 11th game of the first set, during which he dropped just one point on his first serve and soon his opponent began to unravel.

Rublev dropped his serve to start the second set and could not rein in his reaction as he slammed his racquet against his knee with such force he drew blood, mopping it up with a towel at his chair before returning to the court.

It was all too much to overcome as Alcaraz, who finished with 21 winners to 11 unforced errors, sealed the 74-minute victory with his first match point.

The 20-year-old, who improved to 1-1 following his opening loss to Alexander Zverev, will face Medvedev to conclude the group stage on Friday while Rublev will take on Zverev.

Alcaraz told the ATP website: “It was a totally different match and level from me. This is the level I have to play if I want to give myself a chance in this amazing tournament.

“Yesterday was a good day for me in practise to find the level I needed to show today and I think I did pretty well. I am very happy with my level.”