Taylor Fritz Advances to Semifinals at Shanghai Masters

Taylor Fritz has secured a spot in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters after defeating David Goffin of Belgium with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. The American tennis player dominated the 82-minute match, capitalizing on three out of seven break points to earn his place in the semifinal round. Fritz will face either Novak Djokovic, a four-time winner of the tournament, or Jakub Mensik in his next match.

Reflecting on his performance, Fritz stated, “I feel like sometimes it takes a couple of matches to find my routines, to find what feels good and what is working for me. I feel like once I get past the first two rounds, I feel very locked in. I’ve come this far already, so I might as well really dial it in and I’m just enjoying being here.”

Elsewhere in the tournament, the top-ranked player will face Tomas Machac in the other semifinal. Machac managed to defeat Carlos Alcaraz, who was ranked second, in the quarterfinals, setting the stage for another intense match on Saturday.

In the women’s tournament at the Wuhan Open, Aryna Sabalenka maintained her flawless record, overwhelming Poland’s Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-2. Sabalenka is advancing to her eighth semifinal of the year after serving up 42 winners in 16 games, ending the match in 1 hour and 23 minutes. She is set to meet Coco Gauff, who continues her remarkable run in Asia.

Coco Gauff, who recently achieved her 50th win of the season, defeated Magdalena Frech in a resounding 6-0, 6-4 victory. Gauff commented, “I’m really happy with how I played. Obviously a smooth first set. Had chances to maybe close it out in the 5-3 game in the second, but happy I was able to close it out on my serve.”

Meanwhile, Wang Xinyu of China emerged victorious over Ekaterina Alexandrova in a close encounter, winning 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6). Wang will face either her fellow countrywoman Zheng Qinwen or Jasmine Paolini, who have yet to compete. This sets the stage for a continuation of the thrilling matches in Shanghai and Wuhan.