Nakashima pounds Fritz, Bejlek beats Keys in Cincinnati upsets

Brandon Nakashima continued his strong hard-court run by defeating sixth-seeded Taylor Fritz 7-6 (11/9), 4-6, 6-3 in the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters quarter-finals. The unseeded American fired 22 aces and overcame 31 unforced errors from Fritz to reach the semi-finals. Nakashima rallied from a break down in the third set, securing crucial breaks to close out the match.

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I've gotten a lot of confidence over the summer. In the final set I trusted my game, I'm proud with how I ended the match.

"I've gotten a lot of confidence over the summer," Nakashima said after the match. "In the final set I trusted my game, I'm proud with how I ended the match." Nakashima's strong performance follows a semi-final appearance at Washington and a final at the Montreal Masters, setting him up for a potential all-American semi-final against Frances Tiafoe.

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He's a hell of a player, he makes you beat him - and that's what I did. Each match is its own story. I just go out and compete as hard as I can.

In another significant upset, unseeded Czech player Sara Bejlek defeated Madison Keys, a former Australian Open finalist. Bejlek, 20, secured a 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) victory after a comeback in the deciding tiebreaker. She will face fourth-seeded Coco Gauff in the semi-finals, who comfortably beat Marta Kostyuk. Bejlek, who won her first WTA title in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, credited her belief for the win: "I just kept believing in the match no matter what. I believed much more than ever, it was always in my head."

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I just kept believing in the match no matter what. I believed much more than ever, it was always in my head.