Women's Quarterfinals
It's down the final four women after Friday's quarterfinal action at the Western & Southern Open.
Top seed Ash Barty came from behind to defeat Maria Sakkari 5-7 6-2 6-0. This is Barty’s best result in Cincinnati after losing in the round of sixteen the past two years. Barty could reclaim the No. 1 ranking in the world by reaching the final. She held the No. 1 ranking for seven weeks before dropping to No. 2 on Monday.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova continues her incredible run in Cincinnati, coming from a set and a break down to defeat No. 3 seed Karolina Pliskova 3-6,7-6(2),6-3. This is the third seeded players Kuznetsova has taken out in this tournament. She also took out No. 8 Sloane Stephens and No. 11 Anastasja Sevastova
Sofia Kenin advances to the Western and Southern Open semifinals after a Naomi Osaka retirement in the third set. The 20-year-old Kenin is into her second straight semifinal and will debut in the Top 10 with this result. She already has won two titles this year.
In an all-American battle, Madison Keys defeated Venus Williams 6-2,6-3. Keys has improved on her best result here, which was a quarterfinal last year.
Friday's results put two Americans into the semifinals for the first time since WTA came back to Cincinnati in 2004.
Men's Quarterfinals
Defending champion Novak Djokovic leads the final four at the Western & Southern Open following his 7-6(2),6-1 win over Lucas Pouille in Friday's quarterfinals.
Djokovic is seeking to defend his Western & Southern Open title, and has now won 10 straight matches, including his Wimbledon title.
He'll next face Russian Daniil Medvedev, who continued his incredible run for the past couple of weeks to defeat Andrey Rublev 6-2,6-3. Medvedev now holds the record for most wins in 2019 with 42 wins. He is seeking his third consecutive final as he plays the world number one Novak Djokovic on Saturday. Before coming to Cincinnati, he reached the finals at both Washington, D.C. and Montreal.
Frenchman Richard Gasquet reached his first semifinal in a Masters 1000 since Miami 2013 with a win over Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(2) 3-6 6-2. The Frenchman made his comeback this year in Madrid after undergoing groin surgery in January. This marks his best Cincinnati result.
David Goffin reached the semifinals by walkover after qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka was forced to withdraw due to illness. Goffin had now reached his second semifinals in Cincinnati after his run here in 2018. He will now face Gasquet for a place, with the winner reaching their first Cincinnati final.
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