Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev prediction, betting tips & odds, head-to-head, preview: Cincinnati Open 2025

Carlos Alcaraz and Zverev are headed for their fourth ATP 1000 clash.

Yet another effortless victory was added to Alexander Zverev’s resume after Ben Shelton folded in straight sets to the 2021 Cincinnati Open winner. Zverev posted an effortless 6-2, 6-2 victory over Shelton on Friday night and advanced to his fourth straight semi-final at the Cincinnati Open.

Zverev defeated Shelton, the Toronto champion, in an hour and 18 minutes, extending his head-to-head lead over the American to 4-0.

Shelton saw his nine-match win streak come to an end against the World No. 3, leaving the men’s singles draw devoid of an American presence. It also ends the 22-year-old Shelton’s hopes of achieving a career-high ranking of No. 5.

Zverev now faces Carlos Alcaraz, who will stand in his way of the second final at the ATP 1000 event. The German made a title run in 2021. The Spaniard finished as a runner-up at the venue in 2023.

Alcaraz took three hard-fought sets to subdue a fighting Andrey Rublev. Both players struck 27 winners and 11 aces. The final scoreline read 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in Alcaraz’s favour following the two-hour, 17-minute slugfest.

Rublev clawed his way back after losing the first set to win the second. He broke the Spaniard’s serve at 3-5 in the decider to stay in the match. At 5-6, 40-30, and a point away from the tie-breaker, Rublev dropped the last three points and handed the match to his rival with a double fault.

Alcaraz now leads 4-1 against Rublev. The No. 2 seed is also on a Tour-leading 52 wins and is on a 15-match winning streak at ATP 1000s.

Match details

• Tournament: Cincinnati Open 2025
• Round: Semi-finals
• Date: August 16
• Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Centre, Cincinnati, United States
• Surface: Hard Court

Also Read: Could Carlos Alcaraz reclaim World No. 1 ranking from Jannik Sinner at Cincinnati Open 2025?

Preview

With his latest victory over Rublev, Alcaraz has reached his twelfth ATP 1000 semi-final, drawing level with Carlos Moya. Rafael Nadal, with 76 Masters semi-finals, leads the list among Spanish players, with Alcaraz a joint third alongside Moya.

Alcaraz and Zverev head into their semi-final clash on even terms. The 28-year-old Zverev holds a wafer-thin advantage over Alcaraz, with a 6-5 head-to-head lead.

The German is 5-2 on hard courts against Alcaraz, having won their meeting at the ATP Finals in Turin last season. Alcaraz has the cushion of a 3-0 lead at the Masters level events. He also defeated Zverev in their two previous meetings to narrow the gap on North American hard courts with the German.

World No. 2 vs. World No. 3 🙂‍↕️ You don't want to miss this. Stream Alcaraz vs. Zverev this Saturday on our App 🤳 #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/bpxV9JyzRZ

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 16, 2025

Form

• Carlos Alcaraz: W-W-W-W-L
• Alexander Zverev: W-W-W-W-L

Head-to-head record

• Matches: 11
• Carlos Alcaraz: 5
• Alexander Zverev: 6

Stats

Carlos Alcaraz

• Alcaraz has a 52-6 win-loss record in the 2025 season
• Alcaraz has a 10-4 win-loss record in Cincinnati
• Alcaraz has won 75% of matches played on hard courts

Alexander Zverev

• Zverev has a 43-15 win-loss record in the 2025 season
• Zverev has a 16-8 win-loss record in Cincinnati
• Zverev has won 69% of matches played on hard courts

Also Read: Cincinnati Open 2025: All you need to know about prize money & points on offer

Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev: Betting tips and odds

• Moneyline: Alcaraz -175, Zverev +165.
• Spread: Alcaraz -2.5 (-109), Zverev +2.5 (-105).
• Total Games: Over 22.5 (-125), Under 24.5 (-135).
• 1st Set Winner: Alcaraz -165, Zverev +135.
• 1st Set Total Games: Over 9.5 (-205), Under 10.5 (-220)

Match prediction

Alcaraz is on a tour-leading five titles from seven finals in the ongoing season. When he crosses paths with Zverev in the last four, the Spaniard will have a chance to win his sixth tour-level title of the season.

Zverev can hold his own in Cincinnati, having won 16 of his previous 18 matches at the venue. He is into his fourth semi-final in as many appearances at the Masters event.

It remains to be seen if Zverev’s comfort level on hard courts translates into yet another win over his Spanish rival. Or if Alcaraz’s ability to adapt on the fly and superior all-court coverage hands him the edge. Alcaraz has so far managed to shrug off his slow starts at the event and come out on top.

Zverev’s Achilles heel is that he often folds under pressure, as seen in his semi-final loss to Karen Khachanov in Toronto, where he lost a deciding set tie-break.  

Result: Carlos Alcaraz to win in three sets.

Where and how to watch live telecast and live streaming of Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev, semi-final match at Cincinnati Open 2025?

Indian viewers can watch the 2025 Cincinnati Open semi-final between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev on the Sony TEN Network and its streaming service, SonyLIV. Sky UK will handle the coverage within the United Kingdom, while the Tennis Channel takes over in the United States.

Full worldwide broadcast details here

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