Kecmanovic & Albot Defeat Americans To Reach Delray Beach SFs

Miomir Kecmanovic is inching closer towards his first ATP Tour title since September 2020.

The Serbian, who last triumphed three years ago in Kitzbuhel, downed Marcos Giron 7-6(5), 6-3 to open Friday’s quarter-final action at the 2023 Delray Beach Open. The World No. 33 saved five of six break points faced during his one-hour, 34-minute victory, which was halted by rain on several occasions.

Moldova’s Radu Albot upset second seed Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-2 to score the seventh Top-20 win of his career. The 33-year-old stayed steady from the baseline and won 32 of 40 points off his first serve to defeat the American.

Albot, who won the Delray Beach Open in 2019, advanced to his first semi-final since Singapore in 2021 (l. Bublik). Friday’s victory lifted Albot to No. 99 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He will next meet Kecmanovic in Saturday’s semi-final.

In an all-American contest, Mackenzie McDonald survived Michael Mmoh 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Despite being a break down in each set, the 27-year-old McDonald kept battling. Trailing a set and 1-3, McDonald rallied to win five straight games and send the match to a decider. In the final set, McDonald was trailing 2-4 before making another comeback to close out the match in two hours, 10 minutes.

The California native, who is No. 49 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, is one spot shy of tying his career-high which he reached last August. McDonald is set to play in his second Delray Beach semi-final (2019).

Top seed Taylor Fritz was tested in two tight sets to close out Friday’s quarter-final action. The American prevailed against Adrian Mannarino 7-6(8), 6-4 to reach his second semi-final of the season (Dallas).

Mannarino, who was a quarter-finalist at last week’s ATP 250 event in Dallas, had two break points to secure a 4-1 lead in the opening set. However, World No. 7 Fritz overcame the slow start and captured the first-set tie-break, in which he fended off a set point before converting his fourth set point.

The 25-year-old will next clash with countryman McDonald, whom he lost to in their only tour-level meeting in the first round of the Delray Beach Open in 2019.