Tiafoe beats Musetti to set up Nakashima clash in Cincinnati semis

CINCINNATI: Frances Tiafoe defeated Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(2), 7-5 on Friday, advancing to the Cincinnati Open semi-finals. The match took place on a humid night in Ohio and lasted over two hours, with nearby thunderstorms threatening but not interrupting play. Tiafoe, who has been seeking to revive a summer disrupted by early exits and a wrist injury, played aggressively, hitting 18 winners and sealing victory with an unreturnable serve.

In the subsequent semi-final, Tiafoe will face Brandon Nakashima, an American player who has had an impressive run on the North American hard courts leading up to the U.S. Open, which begins later this month. Nakashima, currently on a 1-4 record against Fritz, narrowly won the first set, with both players dominating on serve. The match went to a tiebreak after an intense first set, with Nakashima converting his fifth set point to take a 4-3 lead.

Fritz responded strongly by breaking Nakashima early in the second set and closing it out with an ace, forcing a decider. Despite Fritz's initial momentum, Nakashima recovered from a 30-0 deficit, breaking serve and winning the final three games to secure a 6-3 victory in the third set.