Andrey Rublev has spent the North American hard-court swing building momentum, and the arrival of Marat Safin in his on-site team is set to coincide with the next chapter. Rublev followed a semifinal in Los Cabos with back-to-back quarterfinals in Toronto and Cincinnati, and the coach’s visa issues that kept Safin away from the U.S. have now been resolved.

Dinara Safina confirmed the development on a Russian-language podcast with Anna Chakvetadze. “(Yes), he’s going to pick (up his passport) on the 13th.” When Chakvetadze followed up—“So, Marat Safin will be with Andrey Rublev at the US Open?”—Safina confirmed again.

Safin has been advising from a distance through the summer after officially joining the team for the clay season. Rublev has spoken openly about on-court and off-court changes this year, including a greater willingness to finish points at the net and a focus on mental health. “Well, for sure I did huge improvements, but in the end it’s daily work, daily routine, daily challenge,” he said. “(You need) to be aware (of yourself), and it’s very challenging because it’s easy to do everything automatic.”

There has been staffing turnover as well. Rublev told Tennis.com he parted ways with Alberto Martin after Rome; Fernando Vicente remains head coach. “We have a really good relationship with him,” Rublev said. “Alberto is… really one of the nicest guys that I ever met. He’s a really amazing coach. We didn’t finish nothing in a bad way or something like that, but yeah we go our separate ways after Rome.”

Rublev has praised Safin’s perspective. “Everything is great,” Rublev said. “I like a lot his advices—just in general, the things that he sees, the way he sees those things, and that’s it. Hopefully he’s coming to US Open and we will have more memories.”

On court in Cincinnati, the No. 9 seed has enjoyed a run that includes some personal payback. He heads into a Friday quarterfinal against No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Rublev in the Wimbledon fourth round and extended his head-to-head lead to 3-1 after rallying from a set down. “(I learned) that I must keep working, that I’m on the right path and this is the level that I need to aim for to be able to compete,” Rublev said. “At that level, one or two points and you get broken. Against players like that, you have to play at that level for four and a half hours without losing focus even slightly. That’s what I’m aiming for.”

MASON, Ohio — The stadium court at the Cincinnati Open felt like a portrait of August: heat in the stands, cooling towels in hand and the noise of the highway beyond the grounds. The tournament’s neon-yellow towels were everywhere as fans tried to stay comfortable on a rain-free Day 9. “It’s gonna be a warm one,” a photographer from the Cincinnati area said in the press room.

On the women’s side, Coco Gauff’s day extended beyond the scoreline. After her round of 16 win she reflected on family and downtime. “My grandfather founded a Little League in Delray [Fla.], and it’s still running to this day, and I volunteered there. I would sit and, you know, did a little score sheet. So I know the game very well.” She added a preference for seeing baseball live: “I’m definitely someone who prefers to watch baseball in person than on TV. It can be boring, not gonna lie.” She also acknowledged the season’s grind. “I think sometimes tennis fans want us to win, like every week, but we’re playing 11 months. It’s not that easy,” and admitted she sometimes seeks solitude: “Sometimes I prefer to be by myself than with them,” later adding, “I was just like, ‘Bro, why did I do this?’”

Jasmine Paolini dispatched Barbora Krejcikova 6-1, 6-2 and provided a bit of levity about the conditions. Asked how she handled the heat, she said, “Every changeover, I take the ice sausage,” and laughed as she noted past results against Coco: “A couple years ago I won five games, so I hope to do better.” She left the court still wearing the towel and tossed three balls into the stands.

Jannik Sinner produced a dominant performance against Felix Auger-Aliassime, taking the first set 6-0 and handing Auger-Aliassime his first bagel since 2022. Sinner, the world No. 1, said, “I felt like I was returning very, very well today. I think that was my key point, which also gave me the confidence to serve well.” Commentator Robbie Koenig observed, “What worries me about Felix is the size of the misses we see from him.” Sinner reached the semifinals, where he will face either Holger Rune or Terence Atmane.

The Grandstand produced one of the loudest crowds of the tournament for Ben Shelton. Fans chanted “Come on Ben,” “You got this Benny,” “One more Benny.” Shelton, with his father Bryan courtside and the loosened on-court coaching in play, mimicked a corrected volley after looking to his dad. Shelton extended his streak to nine straight wins and will meet Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.

Jannik Sinner advanced to the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime, a win that reinforced the world No 1’s recent supremacy on hard courts. The scoreline was stark, and the match numbers were equally decisive.

Sinner converted domination into efficient serving and returns. He won 18 of the 23 points played when he landed his first serve and 10 of 16 second-serve points. On return, Sinner won 29 of the 45 points he faced against Auger-Aliassime’s serve, numbers that help explain the lopsided score.

“I felt that I was returning very well today,”

said Sinner. “I think that was the key point, which gave me the confidence to serve well. I had a small drop in the second set when he broke me. It could have been a small change but I am happy I broke him back quite early.

“He is a very difficult opponent because he serves well, he moves well. Physically in incredible shape and hits the forehand very well. But we prepared in the best way, also tactically and I felt like today I was playing some great tennis.”

The victory was Sinner’s first over Auger-Aliassime in three meetings, reversing a pair of losses from 2022. It also marked Sinner’s 25th consecutive hard-court win, a run that places him among five men this century to reach 25 straight victories on the surface. That sequence spans the ATP Finals and the Australian Open.

“Today I felt great on court,” stated Sinner. “I think you saw that but every day is going to be different. Tomorrow is a day off, which is good for me. We will try and put some reps in and then see what I can do in the semis.”

The result in Cincinnati added another authoritative chapter to Sinner’s campaign. His overall streak and the match statistics underline how thoroughly he controlled this encounter, even as the season carries on. His record might read differently had he not missed the Indian Wells and Miami Masters in March, as he was serving a three-month ban for a failed drug test.