Top-ranked Daniil Medvedev moved into the Western & & Southern Open semifinals as he prepares for his U.S. Open title defense, beating 11th-seeded Taylor Fritz 7-6 (1), 6-3. Medvedev, the 26-year-old Russian banned from Wimbledon for his country`s invasion of Ukraine, won the 2019 Western & Southern Open. He looked sharper on Friday than he did last week in Montreal in a round-of-32 loss to Nick Kyrgios. Medvedev will face No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals. Tsitsipas outlasted John Isner 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-3.

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"Sometimes, first rounds in Masters are super tough," Medvedev said. "Like I had Kyrgios in Montreal. Every match is a test, and so far, I have been doing great here. Usually, the conditions here are quite similar to the U.S. Open, and when I do well here, I play good in the U.S. Open, so so far, it`s looking this way." Unseeded American Madison Keys, also a 2019 winner in the event, advanced to the women`s semifinals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. Keys has not dropped a set in four matches, including her upset of top-ranked Iga Swiatek in the round of 16.