TNT Sports
Dan Evans stuns Frances Tiafoe to reach Citi Open semis as Andy Murray's defeat is interrupted by climate protestors
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Published 04/08/2023 at 22:39 GMT+1
Dan Evans beat Frances Tiafoe in straight sets to book a semi-final showdown against Grigor Dimitrov at the Citi Open. On the women's side of the draw in Washington, Coco Gauff blasted past Belinda Bencic 6-1 6-2 to reach the last four. Earlier in the day, Andy Murray's last-16 defeat at the hands of Taylor Fritz was interrupted by climate protestors in the first set.
Battling Murray defeated by Fritz who progresses to Citi Open quarter-final
Video credit: SNTV
Dan Evans is through to the semi-finals of the Citi Open after beating Frances Tiafoe but it was bad news for Andy Murray, who lost to Taylor Fritz in a last-16 match disrupted by climate protestors.
Play was halted for around five minutes in the first set after three giant tennis balls were thrown onto the court. Protestors also displayed signs and chanted from the stands before being removed from the arena without incident.
"I get they’re protesting, but there’s just got to be a better way to do it," Fritz said after the match.
"I don’t understand how people are going to get behind a cause when you’re ruining everyone else’s good time. It doesn’t really make sense to me."
When play resumed, Murray won a tight first set 7-2 in the tie-break before losing in three.
It was just his second appearance since a second-round exit at Wimbledon, following an opening win over Brandon Nakashima.
The Brit was understandably disappointed after his latest setback but was able to take some positives.
"He's one of the better hard court players in the world. I certainly had my chances to win today. So that's a positive," Murray said.
"But obviously you want to be getting through those matches. They were matches I have been used to winning. So it's frustrating right now."
It was better news for Britain's Evans, who dispatched Alexander Shevchenko 6-4 6-3 in the last 16 and carried that form into his quarter-final later the same day as he downed home favourite Tiafoe 6-4 7-5.
Evans secured an early break against Tiafoe in the first before serving it out in style, showcasing all his prowess at the net to resist the American.
The second set was tighter but it was Evans who made the decisive break at 5-5 and he completed the victory when the world No. 10 sent a backhand wide.
He will now face Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the final.
In the other semi-final in Washington, Fritz will take on Tallon Griekspoor after he beat Jordan Thompson 6-3 6-3.
The No. 1 seed took command early in both sets and never really looked in trouble, sealing his passage through to the last four by breaking the Australian's serve for the third time of the match.
On the women's side of the draw, Coco Gauff was in devastating form as she dominated Belinda Bencic to book her spot in the semi-finals with a 6-1 6-2 victory.
Gauff was impressive behind both her first and second serve and put constant pressure on Bencic's serve, forging nine break points during the encounter.
She took six of them en route to the win and will now play Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the final.
Jessica Pegula also reached the semi-finals, coming back from a set down to defeat Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in DC and set up a clash with Maria Sakkari.
The American is the top seed at the tournament and was the heavy favourite against the wild card, but went down 6-4 in the first set in a match that went just over two hours.
The duo had not played since they met at Indian Wells two years ago, and Pegula’s head-to-head record is now 3-1 in her favour. It is the first time she has reached the semi-final of any event since April at Charleston.
The semi-final, though, is the fifth of her campaign so far this year. She won this tournament in 2019 as her first tour success, as well as having reached the semi-finals three times before this week.
At the Los Cabos Open in Mexico, Stefanos Tsitsipas cruised through to the final courtesy of a 6-3 6-2 win over Borna Coric.
The world No. 5 fired seven aces and converted three of five break points to book a showdown with Alex de Minaur, who battled past Germany's Dominik Koepfer in three sets.
Tsitsipas is still searching of his first title in 2023 having lost in two finals, including the Australian Open.
Meanwhile, Dominic Thiem saved five match points against Laslo Djere to reach the Austrian Open final.
Thiem beat his dogged Serbian opponent in a hard-fought 6-7(3) 7-5 7-6(8) match, coming from a set down to claim victory.
The win means that Thiem, battling back from long-term injury problems, has reached his first final since the 2020 ATP finals.
The former world No. 3 impressed with some of his best form as he battled through a match that lasted for three and a half hours, to set up a final in Kitzbuhel against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez, who defeated compatriot Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(5) 3-6 6-4.
"I don't know if I can still produce some good words," a relieved Thiem said afterwards.
"It was probably the longest best-of-three match I've ever played in my life, including when I was a kid. I think even then I didn't play that long for a best of three match.
"It was a very tough and intense match. So close every set, every single game. I knew it straight from the beginning that it would be so close, first three or four games were 20, 25 minutes. It was just an incredible atmosphere again."
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