
Raducanu reaches semi-final of Washington Open after straight-set victory
She will next face Russian Anna Kalinskaya.
Meanwhile, Canadian Leylah Fernandez will take on third seed Elena Rybakina in the semis of the ATP and WTA 500 event on Saturday.
If Raducanu and Fernandez clear the semis, they will set up a potential rematch of the 2021 US Open final.R
On the men's side, Ben Shelton beat fellow American Frances Tiafoe 7-6(2) 6-4 in an electrifying match on Friday to advance to the semifinals.
Shelton blasted an ace on match point to seal the win and avenge his five-set loss to Tiafoe at last year's US Open as the 22-year-old continues to make strides in his breakout season.
Hometown hero Tiafoe had the support of the energized crowd but lost momentum when he was unable to serve out the first set while up 6-5, leading to a tiebreak that Shelton dominated.
The second set hinged on a marathon game at 3-3, where Shelton pocketed a break thanks to a Taifoe double fault.
Shelton rode his huge lefty serve from there to grab the win and set up a semi-final meeting with either top seed Taylor Fritz or Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
"It was a tough one for sure but enjoyable nonetheless," Shelton told Tennis Channel. "I love playing against Foe. Difficult guy to play against but playing him here in the US, especially being here in D.C., it was packed, it was a great atmosphere. I couldn't be happier."
Earlier, tournament lucky loser Corentin Moutet stunned Russia's Daniil Medvedev 6-1 4-6 4-6 in a wild match interrupted by an hour-long delay due to the threat of thunderstorms.
Moutet, leading 5-4 in the final set when they returned to the court, was hobbled by leg cramps but completed the upset in a final game that featured three double faults by Medvedev and a frantic match point.
The Frenchman fell on his back in relief after securing the victory as Medvedev threw his racket and proceeded to take out his frustration on several water bottles, drawing boos from the crowd.
"That is a great way to finish the match," said world number 59 Moutet. "I was with my coach when we were up 5-4 and I said okay, I have to win the next game because my body cannot handle too much more."
Moutet will face Australian seventh seed Alex de Minaur, who was a 6-4 6-4 winner over Brandon Nakashima.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Dubai Eye
8 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Zverev fights back to oust defending champion Popyrin from Canadian Open
Alexander Zverev rallied from a set down to beat defending champion Alexei Popyrin 6-7(8) 6-4 6-3 in Toronto and move into the semi-finals of the Canadian Open on Monday. Top seed Zverev was unable to convert two set points in a tight first set, but built up 3-0 leads in both the second and third sets to clinch the win in two hours and 42 minutes. The victory took the German's head-to-head record against Australian Popyrin to 4-0 and sent him to his 75th semi-final on the ATP Tour, joining Novak Djokovic as the only active men's tennis player to have reached the mark. "I had to tell myself, even though I lost the first set, I thought we were both playing actually quite well," said Zverev, who won the Canadian Open in 2017. "I had to find a return position in the beginning because he's a very big server, and when he gets into a rhythm, it's very difficult against him. "I did that in the second and third set. Honestly, I can't complain about much. I played one loose game on my serve in the second set, but apart from that, it was pretty good." Zverev next faces Russian Karen Khachanov, who beat Alex Michelsen of the United States 6-4 7-6(3). MBOKO'S RUN CONTINUES Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko stormed into the semi-finals of the women's tournament in Montreal with a 6-4 6-2 win over Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to continue her fairytale run. The 18-year-old, ranked 85th in the world, found herself a break down early in the second set, but won six straight games to become the first Canadian to reach the semi-finals of the Canadian Open since 2019. "I'm so excited to be in the semi-final here. I want to thank everyone for your support once again. It has been unreal," said Mboko, who beat No. 1 seed Coco Gauff on Saturday and is set to enter the top 50. Mboko next takes on Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, who was leading 6-1 2-1 when her opponent, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, was forced to retire from their quarter-final match due to a wrist injury. Rybakina will meet Mboko for the second time in as many weeks, with the ninth-seeded Kazakh winning 6-3 7-5 when the pair faced off in the Washington Open last month.


Gulf Today
9 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Fritz fights through to reach Toronto Masters quarters, Tauson stuns Swiatek as Osaka sails
Taylor Fritz battled into Monday morning before finally getting past Czech Jiri Lehecka with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/5) victory in three hours to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Toronto Masters. The US second seed finished off a complete matched set of Masters 1000 quarter-finals as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place in Canada. The late-night marathon lasted 39 games without a break of serve, with 15 aggregate break points going begging. Fritz delivered two aces in the final-set tiebreaker on his way to the narrow win, moving into the last eight as Lehecka drove long. Clara Tauson celebrates her victory over Iga Swiatek (unseen) in their Canadian Open match in Montreal. AFP Fellow American Ben Shelton earned a second chance after Flavio Cobillo failed to serve out their match, with the fourth seed finally securing a somewhat contentious 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/1) win. The pair had words after the match, which Shelton characterised as nothing serious. The winner, who now plays Alex de Minaur, earned his 100th ATP-level win after nearly two and a half hours, firing an ace on his second match point to wrap up a place in the last eight for a third straight tournament after Wimbledon and Washington. De Minaur pushed his ATP winning streak to seven matches as he fended off Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Iga Swiatek reacts after giving up a point. AFP The Australian won the Washington title on Sunday before plunging into the chaotic schedule at Toronto, where play began on the weekend and will continue through Thursday. De Minaur added his voice to the growing chorus of player complaints about the new 12-day Masters calendar, which will see play start in Cincinnati this week before Canada completes its unorthodox Thursday night final. The Australian said he wasn't helped by a third-round walkover -- which gave him three straight days off in the middle of the tournament. De Minaur has now beaten Tiafoe in three of four meetings. He profited from nearly 50 unforced errors off the American's racquet while overcoming a serving slump in the second set and early into the third. Sixth seed Andrey Rublev, runner-up last year when the tournament was held in Montreal, reached his 14th Masters quarter-final 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/2), 3-0 when Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was forced to retire with possible cramping. Naomi Osaka celebrates after her win over Anastasija Sevastova. AP Both men ended the battle with 37 unforced errors, with sixth seed Rublev to play Fritz for a semi-final spot. Meanwhile, Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek became the latest seed to fall at the WTA Canadian Open on Sunday, stunned 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 by 19th-ranked Dane Clara Tauson in the fourth round. Fifth-seeded American Amanada Anisimova followed later with a straight-sets loss to Elina Svitolina. Tauson booked a quarter-final berth against Australian Open champion Madison Keys, who saved two match points on the way to a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Czech Karolina Muchova. It was the American's third match win of the year in which she overcame a match point. Meanwhile, it was clear sailing for former world number one Naomi Osaka, who needed just 49 minutes to blast past Anastasija Sevastova 6-1, 6-0. The second-quickest win of Osaka's career put her into her first quarter-final at the 1000 or Grand Slam level since Doha in 2024. Swiatek, playing her first tournament since winning her sixth Grand Slam title at the All England Club last month, looked out of sorts from the start on a breezy centre court. She fell behind a quick break and failed to convert a pair of break chances in the eighth game as Tauson took a 5-3 lead in the first set. The Polish star appeared to be finding her rhythm as she won the next three games to get her nose in front 6-5. But Tauson, who won her third WTA title and her first since 2021 in New Zealand in January, held to force the tiebreaker and dominated, Swiatek surrendering the set with a double fault on the Dane's first set point. Agencies


Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
Canadian teen Mboko stuns top-seeded Gauff to reach Montreal quarter-finals, Zverev and Popyrin advance
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko took down top-seeded American Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday, thrilling the home crowd as she reached the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal. The 18-year-old wild card saved all four break points she faced, and broke reigning French Open champion Gauff three times on the way to a comprehensive victory in just 62 minutes. Mboko started the season ranked 333rd in the world and has worked her way up to 85 but the win over Gauff -- who she took to three sets in Rome in May -- is the biggest win of her career. 'Playing Coco is obviously never easy. She's number two in the world, and it has been such a great opportunity for me to play against someone like her,' Mboko said. 'I was just happy I kept my composure today and I pulled it through.' Coco Gauff plays a backhand against Victoria Mboko. AFP Gauff, who had a combined 37 double faults as she struggled through her first two matches, was caught flat-footed as the Canadian teen raced through the first set in 25 minutes. Gauff buckled down in the second, but she was unable to convert three break chances in the seventh game -- coming up short on a drop shot and smacking a forehand into the net on the first two. She gained anther chance only to hit a service return long, then flew a volley wide to give Mboko a game point, duly converted when Gauff fired a forehand long. Down 15-30 in the ninth game, Mboko leveled at 30-30 with a blistering backhand, then closed out the hold for a 5-4 lead. Serving to stay in the match, Gauff fell in a quick 0-30 hole and double-faulted to give Mboko a match point, on which the American hit a backhand into the net. Mboko will next play Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who won a see-saw battle with China's Zhu Lin 7-5, 1-6, 6-2. Rybakina hangs on: Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina out-lasted Dayana Yastremska 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 to book a quarter-final clash with Marta Kostyuk. Kazakhstan's Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion who won her first title in more than a year at Strasbourg in May, was slowed by nine double faults. But she ultimately had enough to get past Ukraine's Yastremska, breaking her twice in the third set and sealing it on her fourth match point. She'll face another Ukrainian in Kostyuk, who came from behind to beat American McCartney Kessler 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. Alexander Zverev returns a shot to Francisco Cerundolo (unseen) during their fourth round match at the Toronto Masters. Reuters Zverev and Popyrin enter quarter: Top-seeded Alexander Zverev advanced to an ATP Toronto Masters quarter-final against defending champion Alexei Popyrin as his fourth-round opponent Francisco Cerundolo was forced to retire with an abdominal injury on Saturday. Germany's Zverev secured a 6-4, 1-0 victory, Argentina's Cerundolo taking a medical timeout after the fifth game and finally calling a halt after less than an hour on court. Australia's Popyrin won his ninth straight match in Canada, beating ninth seed Holger Rune 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. The 26th-ranked Aussie profitted from nearly 40 unforced errors from his Danish opponent, who has been taking occasional advice from Andre Agassi. With Popyrin on the horizon, Zverev said he was headed back to the practice court after his abbreviated victory, but he paid tribute to Cerundolo first. 'He's an incredible player, we have a close personal relationship,' Zverev said of Cerundolo. 'I know about abdominal injuries. 'You can't serve or accelerate on the forehand. He had tears in his eyes when he had to quit. He didn't want to disappoint the crowd. 'But they can last from a few days to a few months. I have respect for him - he beat me three times before tonight.' Zverev, the 2017 champion, will be playing his fifth quarter-final in seven Canadian appearance. Earlier, Popyrin saved a break point with his sixth ace against Rune as he served for victory in the final game, finishing the job with a lob winner which left Rune flat-footed. 'This win means a lot,' the Aussie said. 'I started the week not high on confidence but I knew my game was there. Agence France-Presse