{"id":24206,"date":"2026-08-01T13:08:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T08:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=24206"},"modified":"2026-08-01T13:08:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T08:08:39","slug":"americans-pegula-fritz-advance-top-seed-de-minaur-falls-in-dc-open-quarterfinals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=24206","title":{"rendered":"Americans Pegula, Fritz advance, top-seed de Minaur falls in DC Open quarterfinals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A jam-packed quarterfinal Friday at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/topics\/dc-open\/\">DC Open<\/a> saw a tournament first \u2014 the top four seeds in both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s draws competing in the final eight for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>Top women\u2019s seed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/topics\/jessica-pegula\/\">Jessica Pegula<\/a> got the party started with a straight-sets win over No. 5 Anna Kalinskaya, 6-3, 7-5. The world No. 3 used a dominant first serve, winning 80% of her points on it, including six aces, while the Russian double-faulted five times and only won 58% of the points on her serve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot more straightforward, I think, than [Thursday\u2019s] match,\u201d Pegula said. \u201cStill tricky, though. Especially at the end. But, yeah, she\u2019s never easy to play, so if I can get away with a win against her, that\u2019s more straightforward than usual. That\u2019s a pretty good day for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A former champion here in 2019, the Buffalo native hadn\u2019t planned on coming back to the District this year. But after not playing for nearly two weeks after a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon and coming down with an illness after attending some events related to her sponsors, Washington came back into view.<\/p>\n<div class=\"main-photo article-story-photo\">\n<section class=\"block more-from-story\" style=\"padding-bottom: 10px; margin-bottom: 0; border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc;\">\n<div class=\"block-content\">\n<figure class=\"photo-zoom\">\n<div class=\"photo\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/multimedia\/image\/apr20260730_citi-open-jks_qf-pegula-vs-frech_0068j\/\" alt=\"Jessica Pegula of the United States reaches for a forehand shot at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Thursday, July 30, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)\" title=\"Jessica Pegula of the United States reaches for a forehand shot at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Thursday, July 30, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/twt-thumbs.washtimes.com\/media\/image\/2026\/07\/31\/APR20260730_Citi-Open-JKS_QF-Pegula-vs-Frech_0068_c0-167-4000-2499_s885x516.jpg?f75d56569ea6be49104b9c47f28a530c5750ec68\" width=\"885\" height=\"516\" alt=\"Jessica Pegula of the United States reaches for a forehand shot at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Thursday, July 30, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)\"\/><i class=\"zoom\"\/><\/a><\/div><figcaption class=\"source\">\n                                      <span class=\"hide-on-mobile\"><br \/>\n                                        Jessica Pegula of the United States reaches for a forehand shot at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Thursday, July 30, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)<br \/>\n                                      <\/span><br \/>\n                                      <span class=\"show-mobile-only-not-ad\"><br \/>\n                                        Jessica Pegula of the United States \u2026<br \/>\n                                      <\/span><br \/>\n                                      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/multimedia\/image\/apr20260730_citi-open-jks_qf-pegula-vs-frech_0068j\/\" target=\"_blank\">more &gt;<\/a><br \/>\n                                    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI was just more worried about not playing, coming back, being sick, and then being thrown into Washington where it\u2019s really hot historically,\u201d Pegula said. \u201cBut I saw that it was going to be a little cooler, and I was, like, OK, maybe I can push through this week and be OK.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, sometimes I\u2019ve had really good results when I\u2019m not training that much, when I\u2019m just working on certain things, and I know my game and know how I\u2019m going to play. It\u2019s a weird method,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Pegula faces another Russian in Saturday afternoon\u2019s semifinal, No. 4 Diana Shnaider, who knocked out 2022 D.C. champion Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-4. That came after another top seed, No. 3 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/topics\/naomi-osaka\/\">Naomi Osaka<\/a> of Japan, needed three sets to beat Italy\u2019s Elisabetta Cocciaretto.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cOverall this match was really tough, and it felt more like a mental match than an actual tennis match,\u201d Osaka said. \u201cI don\u2019t feel like I played that well, but it was more, like, fighting through every point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the deepest run Osaka has made in the tournament, with all seven of her career titles, including four Grand Slams, coming on hard courts \u2014 though she doesn\u2019t yet feel as comfortable this summer on it as she\u2019d like.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the vibes are very high. I think on-court comfort is not that high,\u201d Osaka said. \u201cI feel like the balls, the court, it\u2019s like a transition, but especially the balls. I feel like they\u2019re flying all the time, and I kind of have to hold back on my power a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"main-photo article-story-photo\">\n<section class=\"block more-from-story\" style=\"padding-bottom: 10px; margin-bottom: 0; border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc;\">\n<div class=\"block-content\">\n<figure class=\"photo-zoom\">\n<div class=\"photo\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/multimedia\/image\/apr_20260731_citi-open-bs_qf-fritz-vs-michelsen_01\/\" alt=\"Taylor Fritz of the United States returns a shot to Alex Michelsen of the United States in a match at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Friday, July 31, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)\" title=\"Taylor Fritz of the United States returns a shot to Alex Michelsen of the United States in a match at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Friday, July 31, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/twt-thumbs.washtimes.com\/media\/image\/2026\/07\/31\/APR_20260731_Citi-Open-BS_QF-Fritz-vs-Michelsen_012_c0-262-6260-3911_s885x516.jpg?08d0bde3b050629bce11cdcca8c3e0321134d400\" width=\"885\" height=\"516\" alt=\"Taylor Fritz of the United States returns a shot to Alex Michelsen of the United States in a match at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Friday, July 31, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)\"\/><i class=\"zoom\"\/><\/a><\/div><figcaption class=\"source\">\n                                      <span class=\"hide-on-mobile\"><br \/>\n                                        Taylor Fritz of the United States returns a shot to Alex Michelsen of the United States in a match at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Friday, July 31, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)<br \/>\n                                      <\/span><br \/>\n                                      <span class=\"show-mobile-only-not-ad\"><br \/>\n                                        Taylor Fritz of the United States \u2026<br \/>\n                                      <\/span><br \/>\n                                      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/multimedia\/image\/apr_20260731_citi-open-bs_qf-fritz-vs-michelsen_01\/\" target=\"_blank\">more &gt;<\/a><br \/>\n                                    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<p>The upset of the day came on the men\u2019s side, as defending champion Alex de Minaur\u2019s run of seven straight <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/topics\/dc-open\/\">DC Open<\/a> wins came to an end at the hands of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/topics\/brandon-nakashima\/\">Brandon Nakashima<\/a>, who evaded six of seven break chances unscathed to win in straight sets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it comes down to that,\u201d de Minaur said of the disparity. \u201cObviously I had more chances than he did, more break points, but all credit to him. He came out with some great serving, a lot of first serves. The only second serve that he gave me on a break point I broke him, and that was early in the match.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nakashima, a Virginia tennis alum, had a deep roster of former teammates cheering him on doing the 7-6 (5), 6-4 win, with a dozen or so supporters in the stands near his player box.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s nice to have them out there, and it\u2019s great to have all those relationships. \u2026 College is always a great stepping platform before turning pro, no matter how good your level is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>An all-Southern California semifinal awaits him after No. 3 Taylor Fritz had to stave off leg tightness and a match point to get past Alex Michelsen, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (6).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of familiarity obviously,\u201d Fritz said of playing Golden Staters in back-to-back matches. \u201c[Nakashima\u2019s] obviously playing really well. It was two really good wins from him [this week]. It\u2019s going to be a tough match. It\u2019s going to come down to a lot of serving, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fritz started favoring his left knee in the middle of the third set and needed treatment for it tied 2-all. Ironically, it was similar to an injury he sustained on court in February, but on the opposite knee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe thing is, I had the exact same thing happen to me in Dallas on my right knee,\u201d Fritz said, \u201clike exact same injury, like same spot, super sharp pain,\u201d Fritz said. \u201cBecause of how it was in Dallas, I felt really confident that I just needed to see the physio. I needed to work on it a little bit and then play, like, a game or two, and it would start to just get better, because that\u2019s what happened at Dallas. It kind of just \u2014 I tweak it. It\u2019s super sharp, feels really weird, and then it kind of just goes away.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"main-photo article-story-photo\">\n<section class=\"block more-from-story\" style=\"padding-bottom: 10px; margin-bottom: 0; border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc;\">\n<div class=\"block-content\">\n<figure class=\"photo-zoom\">\n<div class=\"photo\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/multimedia\/image\/apr_20260731_citi-open-bs_qf-fritz-vs-michelsen_00\/\" alt=\"Taylor Fritz of the United States rests during his match with Alex Michelsen of the United States at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Friday, July 31, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)\" title=\"Taylor Fritz of the United States rests during his match with Alex Michelsen of the United States at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Friday, July 31, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/twt-thumbs.washtimes.com\/media\/image\/2026\/07\/31\/APR_20260731_Citi-Open-BS_QF-Fritz-vs-Michelsen_004_c0-319-7625-4764_s885x516.jpg?f5bb8b1ea8c8fb286e9e2bcc88f32a4fa5bb5dfd\" width=\"885\" height=\"516\" alt=\"Taylor Fritz of the United States rests during his match with Alex Michelsen of the United States at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Friday, July 31, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)\"\/><i class=\"zoom\"\/><\/a><\/div><figcaption class=\"source\">\n                                      <span class=\"hide-on-mobile\"><br \/>\n                                        Taylor Fritz of the United States rests during his match with Alex Michelsen of the United States at the DC Open tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., Friday, July 31, 2026. (All-Pro Reels)<br \/>\n                                      <\/span><br \/>\n                                      <span class=\"show-mobile-only-not-ad\"><br \/>\n                                        Taylor Fritz of the United States \u2026<br \/>\n                                      <\/span><br \/>\n                                      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/multimedia\/image\/apr_20260731_citi-open-bs_qf-fritz-vs-michelsen_00\/\" target=\"_blank\">more &gt;<\/a><br \/>\n                                    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<p>As it went away, both men played to a match tiebreak. Fritz led 5-4 when Michelsen won the next two points on serve and generated a match point on Fritz\u2019s serve.<\/p>\n<p>But Michelsen sent his return long on Fritz\u2019s second serve, before Fritz aced his next one for his chance to win the match. Michelsen would charge the net on the final point rally, but Fritz stepped up to bury a deep forehand winner down the line past him and let out a scream of enthusiasm \u2014 and perhaps exhaustion \u2014 in sealing the win.<\/p>\n<p>The hottest day of the week saw players become a little more deliberate during changeovers, seeking ice-laden towels and fluids as soon as possible. Play was delayed on both main courts in the afternoon as some fans needed attention due to heat-related issues.<\/p>\n<p>In the evening session, Alex Eala of the Philippines continued her sensational <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/topics\/dc-open\/\">DC Open<\/a> run, reaching the semifinals after defeating second seed and world No. 10 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-3, 6-4. She will face Osaka in the second match Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m super excited. I hope it lives up to the expectations. I\u2019m definitely going to do everything I can, leave it all on court, like always,\u201d Eala said. \u201cOf course, Naomi is an amazing player, so it\u2019s going to be a tough match for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And after playing the match of the tournament Thursday night against Ugo Humbert, No. 2 seed American Ben Shelton could not pull out another primetime thriller Friday night, winning the first but dropping the final two sets, including being broken in his final service game to lose the match, falling 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Alejandro Tabilo of Chile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was crazy, a crazy battle. Just so happy to have been able to get through it,\u201d Tabilo said.<\/p>\n<p>                        <a name=\"pagebreak\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Tabilo faces Spanish upstart Rafael Jodar in the final semi Saturday night after Jodar\u2019s 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 4 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.<\/p>\n<section class=\"author-contact-section\">\n<\/section><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A jam-packed quarterfinal Friday at the DC Open saw a tournament first \u2014 the top four seeds in both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s draws competing in the final eight for the first time. Top women\u2019s seed Jessica Pegula got the party started with a straight-sets win over No. 5 Anna Kalinskaya, 6-3, 7-5. The world&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/twt-thumbs.washtimes.com\/media\/image\/2026\/07\/31\/APR_20260731_Citi-Open-BS_QF-Fritz-vs-Michelsen_020_c0-219-5248-3280_s1200x700.jpg?ee51fb8101aa6f4d2da199ed5f111395ed9ac329","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}