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Brandon Nakashima and Frances Tiafoe advanced to the ATP Cincinnati Open 2026 semifinals on Friday, setting up an all-American clash after contrasting victories over Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti. Nakashima stunned the sixth-seeded Fritz 7-6 (9), 4-6, 6-3, while 17th-seeded Tiafoe defeated 10th-seeded Musetti 7-6 (2), 7-5.
Brandon Nakashima Stuns Taylor Fritz
Nakashima continued his impressive run on North American hard courts by overcoming sixth-seeded Fritz in a three-set battle. The 27th-seeded American, who reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Montreal last week, has now reached the semifinals at consecutive Masters 1000 events.
Fritz dominated behind his first serve early, losing just three points on it while firing 14 aces in the opening set. Nakashima stayed with him through a marathon tiebreak.
The key moment came at 4-4 when Nakashima won a 32-shot rally. Fritz later had a set point at 7-6, but Nakashima saved it before converting his fifth opportunity to take the opener 11-9.
Fritz responded by securing the only break of the second set and then moved ahead 3-2 in the decider after breaking Nakashima. However, Nakashima immediately broke back and did not lose another game.
He broke Fritz again for a 5-3 lead before serving out the match.
“Just getting a lot of confidence from all the matches I have been playing,” Nakashima said. “When it came down to the wire in the third set, just tried to trust my game fully and just really proud of how I ended the match.”
The victory lifted Nakashima to a tour-leading 22 hard-court wins this season. He entered Cincinnati at a career-high No. 22 and climbed to No. 16 in the live rankings.
Frances Tiafoe Beats Lorenzo Musetti
Tiafoe booked his place in the semifinals by defeating Musetti 7-6 (2), 7-5 in the other Friday quarterfinal.
The American produced 36 winners compared with Musetti’s 17. Tiafoe’s 38 unforced errors were more than the Italian’s 22, but his aggressive play proved enough to secure the victory.
“I just gotta play to win,” Tiafoe said. “The guy who plays a little more brave at certain moments gets it.”
Tiafoe now holds a 6-1 advantage over Nakashima in their head-to-head record. Their only meeting this year came in the Acapulco semifinals, where Tiafoe won in three sets.
The American also arrives in the Cincinnati semifinals after winning his fourth career ATP Tour title at the grass-court event in Halle, Germany.