CINCINNATI OPEN: NAKASHIMA, TIAFOE, GAUFF AND BEJLEK BOOK SEMIFINAL SPOTS
MASON, Ohio — American tennis enjoyed a big Friday at the Cincinnati Open as Brandon Nakashima eliminated Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe dispatched Lorenzo Musetti to set up an all-American men’s semifinal. On the women’s side, Coco Gauff overwhelmed Marta Kostyuk, while tournament sensation Sara Bejlek continued her remarkable run by coming from behind to defeat Madison Keys.
MEN’S SINGLES — QUARTERFINALS
NAKASHIMA OUTLASTS FRITZ IN ALL-AMERICAN THRILLER
Brandon Nakashima def. Taylor Fritz, 7-6 (11-9), 4-6, 6-3
MASON, Ohio — Brandon Nakashima continued his sizzling North American hard-court run, surviving fellow American Taylor Fritz in a three-set quarterfinal battle. The opening set went all the way to a marathon tiebreak, where Nakashima finally prevailed 11-9. Fritz, the sixth seed, responded in the second set and forced a decider with a 6-4 win. Nakashima refused to buckle, however, taking control of the third set 6-3 to secure his fourth Top-10 victory of the season and advance to a second consecutive Masters 1000 semifinal.
Star of the Match: Brandon Nakashima — survived an 11-9 opening-set tiebreak and then steadied himself after Fritz forced a deciding set.
TIAFOE HOLDS OFF MUSETTI TO REACH CINCINNATI SEMIFINALS
Frances Tiafoe def. Lorenzo Musetti, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5
MASON, Ohio — Frances Tiafoe continued his resurgence with a straight-set victory over 10th-seeded Lorenzo Musetti. Neither player surrendered much in a tight opening set, but Tiafoe took command of the tiebreak, winning it 7-2. The American appeared ready to close the match while serving at 5-4 in the second and even held match point, only for Musetti to break back. Tiafoe responded immediately, breaking again in the following game before serving out the victory on his fourth match point. The two-hour contest sent Tiafoe into his second Cincinnati semifinal in three years.
Star of the Match: Frances Tiafoe — shook off a missed opportunity to serve out the match and immediately broke Musetti again before finishing the job.
WOMEN’S SINGLES — QUARTERFINALS
GAUFF CRUSHES KOSTYUK TO STORM INTO FINAL FOUR
Coco Gauff def. Marta Kostyuk, 6-2, 6-2
MASON, Ohio — Coco Gauff delivered arguably the most commanding performance of Friday’s quarterfinal schedule, dismantling 10th-seeded Marta Kostyuk in straight sets. Gauff established control almost immediately and never allowed the Ukrainian to gain a foothold, surrendering just four games in the match. The American’s aggressive court positioning and willingness to attack the net complemented her trademark defense, helping her secure a sixth consecutive set in Cincinnati. The victory sent Gauff into her fifth WTA 1000 semifinal of the 2026 season and kept alive her bid for a second Cincinnati championship after her 2023 triumph.
Star of the Match: Coco Gauff — surrendered only four games in one of her most dominant performances of the tournament.
BEJLEK DOES IT AGAIN, RALLIES PAST KEYS
Sara Bejlek def. Madison Keys, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
MASON, Ohio — Sara Bejlek’s remarkable Cincinnati run continued Friday as the unseeded Czech rallied from a set down to eliminate Madison Keys and reach her first WTA 1000 semifinal. Keys appeared to have the match under control after taking the opener 6-3, but Bejlek responded by grinding out the second 6-4. The deciding set went all the way to a tiebreak, where Bejlek again showed the composure that helped her stun world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the previous round. She took the breaker 7-5, completing another major upset and eliminating a third Grand Slam champion during her Cincinnati run.
Star of the Match: Sara Bejlek — followed her stunning victory over Sabalenka by rallying from a set down to eliminate Keys in a deciding tiebreak.
AUGUST 21 RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Men’s Quarterfinals
- Brandon Nakashima def. Taylor Fritz — 7-6 (11-9), 4-6, 6-3
- Frances Tiafoe def. Lorenzo Musetti — 7-6 (7-2), 7-5
Women’s Quarterfinals
- Coco Gauff def. Marta Kostyuk — 6-2, 6-2
- Sara Bejlek def. Madison Keys — 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
WHAT’S NEXT — SATURDAY’S SEMIFINALS
Friday’s results completed the final four on both sides of the Cincinnati Open.
On the men’s side, Flavio Cobolli will face Arthur Fils, while Brandon Nakashima meets Frances Tiafoe in an all-American semifinal. Nakashima enters that matchup in tremendous form, but Tiafoe has historically dominated their head-to-head series.
The women’s semifinals feature Iga Swiatek against Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff against Sara Bejlek. Gauff will try to halt the tournament’s Cinderella story after Bejlek knocked out Sabalenka and Keys in consecutive rounds.
That leaves the Cincinnati Open just two victories away from crowning its 2026 men’s and women’s singles champions.
