Novak Djokovic didn't have any major problems with Taylor Fritz. © APA / MATTHEW STOCKMAN

Djokovic easily reached the semi-finals in Cincinnati

World number one leader Carlos Alcaraz and tennis superstar Novak Djokovic reached the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open on Friday (local time in the USA).

August 19, 2023

From: dpa/cst

Djokovic didn't spend long with the American Taylor Fritz, whom he dispatched 6:0,6:4. The Spaniard Alcaraz had to fight against the previous surprise man, the Australian qualifier Max Purcell, in the 4:6,6:3,6:4 victory.

Purcell recently had victories against French Open finalist Casper Ruud and three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka from Switzerland. However, Alcaraz held his nerve after a frustrating first set and eliminated the number 70 in the ATP world rankings. This victory secured the semi-final against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated Australian lucky loser Alexei Popyrin 6:1, 7:6(8).

Hubert Hurkacz meets Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals. © APA / AARON DOSTER

At the end of the evening, number two Djokovic used all five of his breakball chances to finish off Fritz. The Serb hit 13 winners and hardly made any mistakes. He won the first set after just 21 minutes. Fritz showed weaknesses in all aspects of his game, including his serve being flawed. Djokovic will next face number 16 seed German Alexander Zverev, who didn't have to fend off a single break ball in his 6-2,6, 3-XNUMX win against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

Swiatek against Gauff in the semifinals

In the women's category, world number one Iga Swiatek beat Czech Marketa Vondrousova 7:6(3),6:1 in the quarterfinals and booked a duel with Coco Gauff. The American defeated Italy's Jasmine Paolini 6-3,6-2, while Aryna Sabalenka beat fifth-seeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur 7-5,6-3.