WASHINGTON : Third seed Taylor Fritz was the only top-four seed to reach the semi-finals of the Mubadala DC Open on Friday, surviving a match point to beat fellow American Alex Michelsen 6-1 3-6 7-6(6) in Washington.
Fritz appeared headed for an upset when Michelsen held a match point at 6-5 in the deciding-set tiebreak, but the world number three won the final three points to seal victory.
He will face compatriot Brandon Nakashima, who ousted top seed and defending champion Alex de Minaur 7-6(5) 6-4.
Nakashima dominated on serve, firing 10 aces to de Minaur’s five and winning 83% of his first-serve points (45 of 54) to secure his place in the last four.
Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo also produced an upset, recovering from a set down to defeat second seed Ben Shelton 4-6 7-5 6-4.
Tabilo will meet Spain’s Rafael Jodar, who rallied past fourth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti 1-6 6-1 6-4 to book his semi-final berth.
In Los Cabos, France’s Arthur Gea continued his breakthrough run by defeating Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong 7-6(7) 6-3 to reach his first ATP Tour final.
The 21-year-old, ranked 127th in the world, needed six set points to clinch a hard-fought opening set after letting two slip at 5-4 and another four in the tiebreak before finally converting.
Gea will face the winner of the second semi-final between Britain’s fifth seed Cameron Norrie and Canada’s eighth seed Denis Shapovalov.
