Alkaras is struggling and looking for form, with a lot of problems through the qualifiers to the 1/2 finals of Cincinnati

Karlos Alkaras is really struggling, at the same time he is looking for the right form for the US Open, where he is defending his title, with difficult victories.

The world's number one tennis player qualified for the semifinals of the Masters in Cincinnati tonight, after he broke the Australian qualifier Max Purcell (4:6, 6:3, 6:4) with a reversal.

The Spaniard lost the first set, having lost serve once, won the second in a similar way, to lead 2:0 in the third, had three tied break points for a double break, and then allowed his rival to reverse and lead 3:2.

Alkaras did not waver, he made a new break for 5:4, and then again with problems (he saved the break point) he served for 6:4 and the victory.

In the end, he had 29 unforced errors and as many as eight double service faults - he still found a way to victory.

Tomorrow in the semi-finals, he will meet the Polish Hubert Hurkač, who is in excellent form, and today in the quarter-finals he defeated another Australian, Alexey Popirin (6:1, 7:6).

Interestingly, the Pole dropped five tied match points in the tie-break of the second set, from a 6:1 lead to 7:6 for the rival, but Hurkač managed the sixth in the end and won 10:8.

The second semi-final pair will be known after tonight's duels between Zverev and Manarin, or Djokovic and Fric.