Tennis acca tips: Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz to confirm No 1 status

We are down to the last four in Cincinnati, a key stop on the road to the US Open.

On the men's side of the draw, all four remaining contenders are previous Masters champions.

Meanwhile, in the WTA 1000 event, every player left in the competition is a former Grand Slam finalist.

Here we make our picks for the semi-final winner and make a shout for the overall tournament win as well.

ATP Cincinnati: Carlos Alcaraz Garfia vs Hubert Hurkacz | Pick: Alcaraz

ATP Cincinnati: Alexander Zverev vs Novak Djokovic | Pick: Djokovic

WTA Cincinnati: Iga Swiatek vs Coco Gauff | Pick: Swiatek

WTA Cincinnati: Karolina Muchova vs Aryna Sabalenka | Pick: Sabalenka

While Hubert Hurkacz took a set off Carlos Alcaraz in their last meeting just over a week ago but he has lost both times he has taken on the Spaniard.

Alcaraz needs just one more win to secure the world No 1 ranking for another week and the US Open top seeding.

In his run in Cincinnati, Alcaraz has been made to contest three three-set battles and despite playing an extra match Hurkacz has spent less minutes on court than the Spaniard.

Hurkacz is undoubtedly a player capable of beating Alcaraz but it remains to be seen if it will be his day in Ohio on Saturday.

Alexander Zverev is back in a Masters semi-final as he prepares to face Novak Djokovic for the 12th time.

Zverev has picked up four wins in 11 meetings against Djokovic beating him last time out when they met in the 2021 ATP Finals last four.

Naturally a lot has happened since then and the history between the players might not be a huge factor.

Zverev has played very well so far this run, but Djokovic has been in the habit of making great players look very ordinary on the lightning-fast courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre.

Iga Swiatek's rivalry with Coco Gauff has been one-sided up to this point with the world No 1 holding a 7-0 advantage in their career head-to-head record.

Swiatek has dealt with an incredibly tough road to the semi-finals with aplomb seeing off Danielle Collins, Qinwen Zheng and Marketa Vondrousova.

Although she has had arguably the softer route to the last four, Gauff is yet to drop a set in Cincinnati and we might finally get the classic match between these stars that we have been craving.

Swiatek's impressive record and great form this week, coupled with a newfound determination, should see her through.

Karolina Muchova and Aryna Sabalenka meet for what will be their third WTA tour match against one another.

In their last meeting, it was Muchova who came through a three-setter in the semi-final of the French Open back in June of this year.

Muchova got a slice of good luck as her compatriot Marie Bouzkova retired early in the quarter-finals allowing her to recharge for this match.

Sabalenka will have a far greater edge over Muchova on the zippy Cincy courts and she should ensure that Roland Garros defeat becomes little more than a foggy memory.