Nakashima tops Fritz, Bejlek stuns Keys at Cincinnati

Brandon Nakashima continued his impressive run by defeating sixth seed Taylor Fritz 7-6 (11/9), 4-6, 6-3 to reach the Cincinnati Masters (ATP-WTA) semifinals.

Unseeded Czech Sara Bejlek also caused a surprise by overcoming Madison Keys 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in the quarterfinals, just a day after her win over world number one Aryna Sabalenka.

Bejlek, 20, will face fourth-seeded American Coco Gauff in the semifinals. Gauff cruised past Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk, the 10th seed, 6-2, 6-2.

In the men's draw, Nakashima will meet Frances Tiafoe in an all-American semifinal. Tiafoe defeated Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets, 7-6 (7/2), 7-5.

Nakashima began his hard-court swing after Wimbledon with a semifinal run in Washington (where he lost to Fritz), reached the Montreal Masters final, and now has his best result in Cincinnati, just over a week before the US Open begins.

Nakashima faced 22 aces from Fritz, who also made 31 unforced errors. He trailed by a break in the third set but broke back to level at 3-3, then broke again to lead 5-3. He sealed the match with a forehand winner on his first match point.

“I have a lot of confidence this summer,” Nakashima said. “In the last set, I believed in my game and I'm proud of how I closed it out.”

Tiafoe needed four match points to get past Musetti in a tense, slow-paced match. He was broken for the first time when serving for the match, but then won the next two games.

“He's a great player, he makes you work for everything—and that's what I did,” Tiafoe said. “Every match is its own story. I just go out there and compete.”

Bejlek started slowly against Keys, the former Australian Open champion and 2019 Cincinnati winner. She lost the first three games but gradually found her rhythm and clinched the win.

In the third set, Bejlek broke early but Keys leveled to force a tiebreak. Bejlek rallied from 2-4, finishing the match with a down-the-line winner on match point.

“I just kept believing in the match no matter what happened,” said Bejlek, who won her first WTA title in Abu Dhabi in February as a qualifier. “I believe more than ever; it's always in my head.”

Keys, ranked 24th, broke in the third game of the second set, but Bejlek (35th) broke back in the sixth and held serve to lead 4-3. Keys won a love game, but Bejlek capitalized on her chances in the next two games to force the deciding set.

Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, was focused from the start against Kostyuk, breaking her opponent six times to win in 70 minutes. Kostyuk, who had won all five quarterfinals earlier this year, managed only one break per set, not enough to trouble Gauff, who lost just five points on her first serve.

“Every match I'm playing better,” Gauff said. “I'm more decisive, my serve has improved, and I'm getting broken less and less.”

She expects a tough test from Bejlek: “Sara is a great player. I watched her win Abu Dhabi. She's very fast and quick, always making you work for every point.”