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ATP Cincinnati Open Masters

Cincinnati Fourth Round: Alcaraz Looks for 51st Win Against Lucky Loser Luca Nardi

Alcaraz seeks 51st win of 2025 in Cincinnati; a 22-year Luca Nardi, a lucky loser, stands in his way.

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Carlos Alcaraz returns to court Wednesday night in Cincinnati aiming to extend a remarkable run. Yesterday afternoon, Alcaraz moved past fellow 22-year-old Hamad Medjedovic, 6-4, 6-4, to reach 50 wins for the season and to become the only man to record 50 or more wins in each of the last four years. Tonight he will seek his 51st win of 2025 in a fourth-round meeting with 22-year-old Luca Nardi.

Nardi reached this stage after entering the main draw as a lucky loser and fighting his way into the fourth round. He is best known for stunning then-No. 1 Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells last year and arrives in Cincinnati with momentum and confidence. The Italian pushed Alcaraz to three sets in their only previous meeting, a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory for the Spaniard in Doha earlier this year, showing he can extend rallies and trouble the top players.

The pairing presents a clear contrast: Alcaraz arrives having just reached the 50-win milestone and playing with the consistency that produced that mark across multiple seasons. Nardi has the underdog profile of a lucky loser who has turned opportunity into results, including his signature win at Indian Wells.

The match will be watched closely as Alcaraz attempts to convert recent form into another late-night victory, while Nardi looks to repeat the level that has produced upsets and that pushed their Doha meeting to three sets. The result will shape the bottom half of the draw as the tournament moves deeper into the second week.

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Alcaraz Closing In On $50 Million Career Prize Money

Alcaraz nears $50m career prize money; US Open and Cincinnati earnings could push him over in 2025.

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Carlos Alcaraz has moved rapidly into the sport’s highest earners and now stands on the verge of another financial milestone. The Spaniard, with 21 ATP Tour titles and five Grand Slam wins at age 22, took his career prize money to $47,362,248 following Wimbledon.

Those earnings will rise further after the Cincinnati Masters, and a deep run at the US Open would push the total still higher. The US Open’s 2025 prize pool has been set at $90m, up 20% from $75m in 2024, and the champion is due to receive $5m. Men’s and women’s singles runner-up prize money has increased by 39%, with beaten finalists set to receive $2.5m.

Alcaraz has repeatedly insisted that money is not his primary motivation. “I love playing tennis. You know, most of the time I don’t think about the money,” he said. “I just play for love or for fun. But you have to be realistic. You have to think that you want to earn money, you know, and that’s it.”

He also reflected on one high-paying exhibition appearance. “The money in Saudi Arabia is the most, highest prize money ever in history, so that was a good motivation, at least for me.” That appearance was at last year’s Six Kings Slam event in Saudi Arabia.

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Alcaraz’s on-court earnings are complemented by a long-standing roster of sponsors: Nike, Rolex, BMW, Babolat, Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton. He was recently unveiled as an Evian ambassador, joining Britain’s Emma Raducanu among their collection of athletes.

Among Alcaraz’s contemporaries, Jannik Sinner and others have also accumulated substantial prize money. Sinner collected $4,881,500 when he won the 2024 ATP Finals, the largest single prize paid so far. Career prize money standings cited include: 1. Novak Djokovic, $188,934,053 2. Rafael Nadal $134,946,100 3. Roger Federer $130,594 4. Andy Murray $64,687,542 5. Alexander Zverev $54,106,074 6. Carlos Alcaraz $47,362,248 7. Daniil Medvedev $46,901,049 8. Jannik Sinner $45,682,097 9. Pete Sampras $43,280,489 10. Stan Wawrinka $37,634,708.

If Alcaraz continues to win at current rates, the next few seasons will determine how quickly he crosses the $50m mark.

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Draper cleared for US Open return after arm issue; says he feels refreshed

Draper says arm is healed and he will compete at the US Open after reflecting and rebuilding. Ready.

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Jack Draper has confirmed he will be fit to compete at the US Open after a spell on the sidelines with an arm injury. He has not hit a ball since his second-round defeat at Wimbledon against Marin Cilic more than a month ago, and his absence from Toronto and Cincinnati Masters hampered his preparations ahead of the final Grand Slam of 2025. Draper told the LTA that his injury issues are behind him and that he is preparing to fly to America to compete in New York.

“I found out I had an injury in my arm, which I had been playing with for a little while,” Draper said.

“The doctors and my team advised me that I’d need to take some time out. I had a few days off, so I chilled and took my mind off tennis. Then I was really motivated to come back and do a really good fitness block and work myself hard physically to make some good gains.

“I got back to my tennis slowly to protect my arm, but it’s been a really productive few weeks now. It was disappointing to miss Toronto and Cincinnati, but I think it’s been a good period for me to reflect on things and improve.

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“I’m really looking forward to going out to the US Open, and I’m in a great place personally and tennis-wise. I feel refreshed, motivated, and I can’t wait to get back out there.”

The British No 1 will arrive in New York defending significant ranking points after his breakthrough run to the semi-finals at the US Open last year. His victory at the Indian Wells Masters in March remains the clearest recent evidence of his comfort on fast hard courts, and if his arm is fully recovered he will be a threat once more at the season’s final major.

“Last year’s US Open was amazing – I reflect on it with really positive memories. It gave me so much confidence and set me up for what was to come for the rest of the year and also the start of this year,” he added.

“Pushing through five best-of-five set matches, against the best players in the world on the biggest stages – that just gives me so much belief. It was a big moment for me and probably one of the biggest in my career so far.

“For me, the atmosphere is the best at the US Open. I love the crowd dynamic, the rowdiness, and I just really enjoy the surroundings and what it brings. It’s a lively, energetic crowd, and that gets the best out of me for sure.”

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How Cahill and Vagnozzi sharpened Sinner’s finishing touch

Cahill credits technical work with Simone Vagnozzi for Sinner’s improved serve and finishing. daily

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Darren Cahill says the work he and Simone Vagnozzi have done with Jannik Sinner focused on adding avenues to finish points, and that those changes helped convert a top-10 talent into a sustained world No 1. Cahill, who previously mentored Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi, joined Sinner in July 2022, shortly after Vagnozzi began with the then rising player.

Under the two coaches Sinner has claimed two Australian Open titles, one US Open crown and the 2025 Wimbledon trophy. The 23-year-old has also spent the last 62 weeks at the top of the ATP Rankings and has been unmovable since becoming the first Italian world No 1 in June 2024.

On the coaching partnership Cahill was specific about roles and process. “I work hand-in-hand with Simone, he started about six months before I did, and he has been amazing. He had a vision for where Jannik’s game needed to go and we spent a lot of time together working through what technical changes he had to make,” he revealed.

Cahill described the technical priorities in detail. “Anything from a technical point of view, creating more ways for him to develop finishing skills, with his serve a little bit, his transition skills, all the stuff that all the great champions of the sport have in their arsenal.

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“Jannik was already a great player, he was already a top-10 player, he hit the ball great from the back of the court, but he needed to work on more avenues to finish points.

“And so we went to work and we a really fortunate that we have a player who wants to get better every single day, he never settles for where he is at the moment, no matter what he achieves and every time he steps onto the court he is looking to improve as a tennis player.”

Cahill singled out the serve as a turning point. “One thing I did say is, ‘The serve needs to improve. You’re six foot four and you’re a strong lad’,” he revealed. “‘You need to be able to get more miles per hour on that first serve, better direction on that first serve.

“Then not only do you start winning some free points from your first serve, but also your Plus One becomes much more effective. If people can neutralise your serve, you have to work much harder for your points.

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“Then his questions came, one after the other ‘How do I get better at the serve? What do I need to do?’ It’s typical of him. He wants to compete. He’s a competition animal.”

On the current landscape Cahill noted the separation at the top. “We’re seeing an incredible level of tennis at the moment, with Carlos and Jannik.

“If you look at their body of work over the past couple of years, they’ve separated themselves from the field. Now it’s up to the field to chase, to watch and copycat a little bit, to work a little bit harder and to work on the things they are working on, do what everyone does and that’s try to be as good as the best.

“We are very fortunate as coaches and it has been a wonderful journey so far.”

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