Nakashima Sends Fritz Packing in Three-Set Thriller
Brandon Nakashima has continued his impressive summer run on the hard courts, eliminating sixth-seeded Taylor Fritz 7-6 (11/9), 4-6, 6-3 at the Cincinnati Open to book a place in the tournament's semifinals. The result extended what has been a remarkable stretch of form for the unseeded American ahead of the US Open, which begins in just over a week.
Despite facing a barrage of 22 aces from Fritz — who also contributed 31 unforced errors — Nakashima remained composed throughout. After falling behind a break in the deciding third set, he battled back to level at 3-3, then broke again to take a 5-3 lead before closing out the match with a forehand winner on his first match point opportunity.
"I've gotten a lot of confidence over the summer," Nakashima said after the victory. "In the final set I trusted my game, and I'm proud with how I ended the match."
Nakashima's summer has built progressively: he reached the semifinals in Washington — where he lost to Fritz — went on to reach the final at the Montreal Masters, and has now achieved his best-ever result in Cincinnati. The trajectory could hardly be better timed with the year's final Grand Slam approaching.
All-American Showdown on the Men's Side
Nakashima will face compatriot Frances Tiafoe in what promises to be a compelling all-American semifinal. Tiafoe needed all four of his match points to edge past Italian Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (7/2), 7-5 in a contest that was slow in pace but high in tension.
Tiafoe was broken when he first served for the match, but regrouped to win the following two games and secure his place in the final four.
"He's a hell of a player — he makes you beat him, and that's what I did," Tiafoe said of Musetti. "Each match is its own story. I just go out and compete as hard as I can."
Bejlek Backs Up Sabalenka Shock with Win Over Keys
On the women's side, 20-year-old Czech Sara Bejlek produced another remarkable performance, defeating former Australian Open champion Madison Keys 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in a hard-fought quarterfinal. The result came just a day after Bejlek had stunned world number one Aryna Sabalenka, cementing her status as one of the tournament's most surprising and talked-about competitors.
Bejlek faced an early deficit, falling 0-3 in the opening set, and had to navigate numerous momentum swings throughout the encounter. Keys, the 2019 Cincinnati champion, fought back in the tiebreaker to level at 4-2, but Bejlek rallied to close out the match with a sharp winner down the line on match point.
"I just kept believing in the match no matter what," said Bejlek, who claimed her first WTA title earlier this year in Abu Dhabi as a qualifier. "I believed more than ever before — it was always in my head."
Despite the loss, Keys showed her quality throughout, breaking in the third game of the second set, only for Bejlek to respond with a break of her own to retake control. It was that pattern of resilience that ultimately defined Bejlek's win.
Gauff Dominates Kostyuk to Set Up Bejlek Clash
Two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff will be Bejlek's opponent in the women's semifinals after a dominant 6-2, 6-2 demolition of 10th-seeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk. Gauff wrapped up the match in just 70 minutes, breaking the Ukrainian's serve six times along the way.
Kostyuk, who had reached the quarterfinals of every tournament she had entered this year, managed just one break of serve in each set — small interruptions in an otherwise controlled Gauff performance. The American dropped only five points on her first serve across the entire match.
"Every match is getting better for me," Gauff reflected. "I'm being more decisive, my serve is improving, and it is getting more and more rare for me to be broken."
Looking ahead to her semifinal against Bejlek, Gauff acknowledged the challenge the Czech poses:
"Sara is a great player. I watched her win the title in Abu Dhabi. She's so athletic and fast, but she makes you earn every point."
Cincinnati Open Semifinals at a Glance
- Men's: Brandon Nakashima vs. Frances Tiafoe
- Women's: Coco Gauff vs. Sara Bejlek
- Jessica Pegula also advanced on the women's side
With the US Open on the horizon, the Cincinnati tournament is providing a vivid preview of the hard-court season's final and most prestigious chapter, featuring a mix of established stars and rising talent competing at the highest level.
