Carlos Alcaraz shows heart on camera after Alexander Zverev's injury: 'Happy for the final but feeling bad...'

Carlos Alcaraz continued his sublime form as he advanced to his seventh consecutive ATP tour final after beating an ailing Alexander Zverev on Saturday at the Cincinnati Open. The 6-4, 6-3 saw Alcaraz set up a blockbuster final against Jannik Sinner, who he faced in the finals of Rome, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) reacts after returning a shot against Alexander Zverev (GER) during the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Alcaraz came out firing in the semifinal clash, relentlessly attacking Zverev’s forehand with heavy, high cross-court shots off his own wing. Zverev tried to fight back by taking his forehand down the line, avoiding Alcaraz’s lethal patterns.

Trailing 2-3 in the first set, Alcaraz shifted gears and produced an inspired shot-making to snatch the set and open a break in the second. He briefly gifted it back with three straight double faults, but an injury-hampered Zverev was never able to mount a serious comeback.

The German had suffered the injury during his quarter-final win against Ben Shelton on Friday. But on Saturday, he left the court for a medical timeout at 2-1 in the second and never looked in touch for the rest of the match.

After the win, Alcaraz showed his heart on the camera with a small message for Zverev. He wrote: “Happy for the final but feeling bad for Sascha. Wish you all the best.”

In the on-court interview, the Spaniard also said he found it challenging to focus on his own game while worrying about Zverev’s condition.

"It's never easy playing against someone that you know is not feeling 100 per cent. It's even tougher when it comes from Sascha, such a great player, such a great person off the court. We have a really good relationship," he said.

"We started the match really good, playing good rallies, a good level of tennis. But then all of a sudden he started to feel bad. And then my focus, I was thinking about how he's feeling, besides focusing on myself and playing good tennis. It was a really difficult situation for me and I just wish him all the best."

Alcaraz advanced to his ninth Masters 1000 final, but first on hard courts since lifting the Indian Wells title last year. He is also 16-0 in Masters 1000 tournaments this year, having won the titles in Monte-Carlo and Rome. At 22 years and three months, he is also the third-youngest player to reach nine Masters 1000 finals after Rafael Nadal (20) and Novak Djokovic (21).

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