Brandon Nakashima Stuns Fritz in Cincinnati
Brandon Nakashima has caused a major upset in Cincinnati, knocking out sixth-seeded Taylor Fritz 7-6 (11/9), 4-6, 6-3 to reach the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters semi-finals.
Nakashima's win came after a tough match in which he withstood 22 aces from Fritz, who also committed 31 unforced errors.
Nakashima's path to the semi-finals has been impressive, with a semi-final in Washington, a final in Montreal, and now his best showing at Cincinnati.
He will face Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals, another all-American clash.
Nakashima has credited his confidence over the summer for his success, saying "I've gotten a lot of confidence over the summer. In the final set I trusted my game, I'm proud with how I ended the match."
He added that he was trying to hit bigger against Fritz than in their previous match in Washington, which got him through.
Meanwhile, Tiafoe also reached the semi-finals, out-lasting Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (7/2), 7-5 in a match that lasted over an hour.
Tiafoe was forced to take four match points to finally move through, sending over a service winner that Musetti could not handle.
He said of his win, "He's a hell of a player, he makes you beat him – and that's what I did."
In the women's quarter-finals, Sara Bejlek backed up her stunning victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, rallying for a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) victory over Madison Keys.
Bejlek trailed 0-3 on the way to dropping the first set but rode a wave of momentum shifts into the final four.
She will face either fourth-seeded Coco Gauff or Marta Kostyuk in the semi-finals.
Bejlek credited her win to her ability to "keep believing in the match no matter what."
She added that she believed in herself more than ever, saying "I believed much more than ever, it was always in my head."
The wins for Nakashima and Bejlek set up exciting semi-finals matchups, with all-American clashes on both the men's and women's sides.
The ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters will continue on Saturday, with the semi-finals taking place.
Source: Yahoo Sports