SURPRISE SEMI-FINALS TO PRODUCE NEW CINCY CHAMPION

• A new Western & Southern Open champion will be crowned among No. 7 seed Grigor Dimitrov, No. 14 seed John Isner and unseeded players Nick Kyrgios and David Ferrer. Isner and Ferrer have played for the Cincinnati title before, finishing as runners-up in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Dimitrov and Kyrgios, on the other hand, have never reached an ATP Masters 1000 final.

• Isner and Dimitrov will meet in Saturday’s first semi-final. Neither man has lost a set this week, with Isner’s dominance dating back exactly one month. The Newport and Atlanta champion is 12-1 in matches and 24-2 in sets since July 19, holding in 134 of 137 service games (98%), saving 14 of 17 break points (82%) and hitting 238 aces and 27 double faults (9-to-1 ratio). Isner is 3-5 lifetime in ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals, while Dimitrov is 0-3. In the 2016 Cincinnati semi-finals, Dimitrov held two game points for a 5-2 third-set lead before falling to eventual champion Marin Cilic.

• Kyrgios faces Ferrer with a spot in his first final of 2017 on the line. The Aussie eliminated No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal on Friday, making 2017 Cincinnati the first ATP Masters 1000 event without a Big Four semi-finalist and finalist since 2012 Paris. Ferrer was the 2012 Paris champion, marking the only ATP Masters 1000 title won by any of the Cincinnati semi-finalists. The 35-year-old dropped to a 12-year low No. 46 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on July 17. Ferrer is 12-2 since then, and this week became the oldest Cincinnati semi-finalist since 1970 champion Ken Rosewall.

• Four of the last five Grand Slam champions are represented in the doubles semi-finals on Grandstand. Wimbledon champions Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo meet US Open champions Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares. Then, Roland Garros champions Ryan Harrison and Michael Venus take on 2016 Wimbledon champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.

And then there were four…

??Kyrgios v Ferrer??
??Isner v Dimitrov??

Don’t miss the #CincyTennis semi-finals ? https://t.co/BmumqUUL35 pic.twitter.com/AiQl6RTTRT

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 19, 2017

NON-BIG FOUR ATP MASTERS 1000 CHAMPIONS (since 2005)
2017: Alexander Zverev (Rome, Montreal), Cincinnati Champion
2016: Marin Cilic (Cincinnati)
2014: Stan Wawrinka (Monte-Carlo), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Toronto)
2012: David Ferrer (Paris)
2010: Ivan Ljubicic (Indian Wells), Andy Roddick (Miami), Robin Soderling (Paris)
2009: Nikolay Davydenko (Shanghai)
2008: Nikolay Davydenko (Miami), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Paris)
2007: David Nalbandian (Madrid, Paris)
2006: Tommy Robredo (Hamburg), Andy Roddick (Cincinnati), Nikolay Davydenko (Paris)
2005: Tomas Berdych (Paris)

NOTE: Nadal (30), Novak Djokovic (30), Roger Federer (22) and Andy Murray (14) have won 96 of 115 ATP Masters 1000 titles since the start of the 2005 season (83%)

FEDEX ATP HEAD2HEADS: SINGLES SEMI-FINALS
[14] John Isner (USA) vs [7] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)            Isner Leads 1-0

Isner 2017 Summary
W (2): Newport (d Ebden); Atlanta (d Harrison); SF (1): ATP Masters 1000 Rome (l A. Zverev); QF (4): Auckland (l Johnson); Memphis (l Young); Houston (l Escobedo); Eastbourne (l Gasquet)
YTD W-L: 28-15 (15-8 on hard)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 12
Date of Birth: April 26, 1985 (32)
Emirates ATP Ranking: 19
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 15-9 (2013 Finalist)

• Tournament Note: Serve has not been broken in 11 of last 13 matches, including all 4 matches this week
• Did not drop a set en route to back-to-back titles at Newport (d. Ebden) and Atlanta (d. Harrison)
• In Newport, became 2nd champion to not face break point at an ATP event since at least 1991 (Haas: 2007 Memphis)
• Went 7-1 in TBs to reach 1st clay-court ATP Masters 1000 SF at Rome (d. Wawrinka and Cilic, l. to A. Zverev)
• Lost 3rd-set TBs in QFs at Auckland (l. to Johnson), Memphis (l. to Young) and Houston (l. to Escobedo)
• Let 2-set lead and 2 MPs slip away vs M. Zverev in Australian Open 2R — 5th loss of career from 2 sets up
• Squandered 3 MPs in ATP Masters 1000 Miami 3R vs A. Zverev; saved 1 MP in Auckland 2R vs Jaziri
• Advanced to Acapulco doubles final w/F. Lopez (d. Marach/F. Martin 16-14 in Match TB, l. to J. Murray/Soares)
• Withdrew from ATP Masters 1000 Madrid and Washington due to right knee injury

Dimitrov 2017 Summary
W (2): Brisbane (d Nishikori); Sofia (d Goffin); SF (2): Australian Open (l Nadal); London/Queen’s Club (l Lopez); QF (1): Rotterdam (l Goffin)
YTD W-L: 32-14 (22-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: May 16, 1991 (26)
Emirates ATP Ranking: 11
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 12-5 (2016-17 Semi-finalist)

• Tournament Note: Lost in ATP Masters 1000 SFs at 2014 Rome (l. to No. 1 Nadal), 2014 Toronto (l. to Tsonga) and 2016 Cincinnati (l. to Cilic)
• Began season 16-1 and reached 2nd Grand Slam SF at Australian Open (d. Goffin, l. to Nadal in 5 sets after 4:56)
• Captured 5th and 6th ATP titles respectively at Brisbane (d. Thiem, Raonic and Nishikori) and Sofia (d. Goffin)
• Reached London/Queen’s Club SF (l. to Lopez), Rotterdam QF (l. to Goffin) and Wimbledon 4R (l. to Federer)
• Broke back into Top 10 of Emirates ATP Rankings on July 17 for 1st time since February 23, 2015
• Suffered 3R losses at Indian Wells (l. to Sock after holding 4 MPs), Madrid (l. to Thiem after holding 5 MPs), Roland Garros (l. to Carreno Busta), Washington (l. to Medvedev) and Montreal (l. to Haase)
• Fell to No. 158 Pella in Miami 2R, No. 385 Robredo in Marrakech 2R as WC and No. 155 Janowicz in Stuttgart 2R

Nick Kyrgios (AUS) vs David Ferrer (ESP)                Ferrer Leads 1-0

Kyrgios 2017 Summary
SF (3): Marseille (l Tsonga); Acapulco (l Querrey); ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l Federer); QF (1): ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (w/o vs Federer)
YTD W-L: 25-11 (22-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 3
Date of Birth: April 27, 1995 (22)
Emirates ATP Ranking: 23
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 5-2 (2017 Semi-finalist)

• Tournament Note: Lost in ATP Masters 1000 SFs at 2016 Miami (l. to Nishikori) and 2017 Miami (l. to Federer)
• Advanced to ATP Masters 1000 Miami SF for 2nd straight year (l. to Federer 76 67 76 in 3 hours, 11 minutes)
• Also lost to eventual champions in 3-set SFs at Marseille (l. to Tsonga) and Acapulco (d. Djokovic, l. to Querrey)
• Hit 25 aces to beat Djokovic 76(9) 75 in Acapulco QF — most aces allowed by Djokovic in best-of-3 set match
• Joined countryman Hewitt as 2nd player to win 1st meeting with Djokovic, Federer and Nadal
• Defeated Djokovic again in ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 4R (w/o vs Federer in QF due to illness)
• Blew 2-set lead and 1 MP in Aus. Open 2R loss to Seppi (d. Seppi at 2015 Aus. Open from 2 sets and 1 MP down)
• Led Australia to Davis Cup SF with wins over Czech Republic (d. Satral) and USA (d. Isner and Querrey)
• Withdrew from ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo (elbow), ATP Masters 1000 Rome (left hip) and Atlanta (left hip)
• Retired in 3 straight matches: London/Queen’s Club 1R (hip), Wimbledon 1R (hip), Washington 2R (right shoulder)

Ferrer 2017 Summary
W (1): Bastad (d Dolgopolov); SF (1): Estoril (l Carreno Busta)
YTD W-L: 22-16 (9-5 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 27
Date of Birth: April 2, 1982 (35)
Emirates ATP Ranking: 31
Cincinnati W-L (Best Result): 21-12 (2014 Finalist)

• Tournament Note: Owns 7-10 record in ATP Masters 1000 SFs. Beat Benneteau in 2014 Cincinnati SF before falling to Federer in final.
• Saved 2 MPs vs Laaksonen in QF en route to 1st title since 2015 Vienna at Bastad (d. Dolgopolov)
• Became 13th player to reach 700 wins by beating Lopez in Rome 1R on May 16 (l. to Nishikori in 2R)
• Upset 2-time semi-finalist Gasquet in Wimbledon 1R (l. to Berdych in 3R)
• Lost to countrymen Bautista Agut in Australian Open 3R and Lopez in Roland Garros 2R
• Fell to 0-17 lifetime against Federer with 3-set loss in ATP Masters 1000 Montreal 3R
• Suffered 5-match losing streak from January 21 to May 4 before reaching Estoril SF (l. to Carreno Busta)
• Dropped to No. 46 in Emirates ATP Rankings on July 17 — lowest since No. 47 on March 14, 2005
• Withdrew from Indian Wells, Monte-Carlo and Kitzbuehel due to Achilles tendon injury

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Nick Kyrgios was at his ruthless best on Friday evening at the Western & Southern Open, blasting past Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-5 to secure a spot in the semi-finals. It was the 100th tour-level victory for the Aussie.

Kyrgios dominated from start to finish in his second match of day, reaching his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final of the year (Miami) and first in Cincinnati. Less than seven hours after rallying past Ivo Karlovic 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 in their rain-delayed third round affair, he needed just 80 minutes to thwart the soon to be World No. 1.

The victory was even more impressive considering the contrast in styles between opponents, with Kyrgios overcoming the big-serving Karlovic and more baseline oriented game of Nadal. With the Spaniard eliminated, it marks the first time since Paris 2012 that no member of the Big Four of Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are in the semis of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. That’s 42 straight Masters 1000 tournaments.

No stopping Nick!@NickKyrgios speeds past Nadal in straight sets to make the last 4 in Cincinnati.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/wVU7hP8pn7

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 19, 2017

Kyrgios exploded out of the gates on a beautiful Friday evening at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The Aussie landed punch after punch, utilising his great agility and aggressive gameplan to deliver a fiery statement.

Kyrgios would claim 10 of the first 11 points, seizing an immediate break in Nadal’s opening service game and chasing down a drop shot for an insurance break for 3-0. The 22 year old won seven of eight points on Nadal’s second serve in the set, rifling return winners with aplomb. He’d take the opener after just 25 minutes, claiming all five points lasting over five shots.

The second set featured much of the same, as Kyrgios fought off a break point and claimed an early advantage with a break for 3-2. Nadal would not go down quietly, however, fighting off a pair of match points while serving at 5-3 and one more with Kyrgios serving for the match at 5-4. He would break for 5-all, but the Aussie responded in kind in the next game. He would break right back and successfully served out the win with his 10th ace of the match.

With top seed Nadal out, it marks the first time since 2006 that no Top 5 seeds will feature in the Cincinnati semi-finals.

Kyrgios will face David Ferrer in Saturday’s semi-finals. Ferrer took their lone previous encounter in the first round of the 2013 US Open. Seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov battles 14th seed John Isner in the other semi-final.

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Grigor Dimitrov is one win away from his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final after a commanding 6-2, 6-1 win over Japan’s Yuichi Sugita Friday at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Dimitrov has now reached four semi-finals at the ATP World Tour’s premier tournament level, but is yet to reach a title match at the 1000s.

The Bulgarian broke World No. 46 Sugita at the beginning of the first set to race to a 3-0 lead and twice at the beginning of the second set to surge ahead 5-0. He lost just five points on serve and did not face a break point.

En route to victory, the seventh-seeded Bulgarian pulled off a spectacular diving hot shot volley, showing plenty of grit even when comfortably ahead a set and 4-0.

He next will play the winner of the all-American clash between veteran John Isner and #NextGenATP’s Jared Donaldson.

By reaching the semi-finals, Dimitrov moves ahead of Andy Murray into eighth spot in the Emirates ATP Race To London. With fifth-placed Stan Wawrinka and seventh-placed Novak Djokovic having announced that they won’t play again this season, Dimitrov is well placed to grab one of the eight spots at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he is hoping to make his debut at the season-ending event.

Sugita was appearing in his first Masters 1000 quarter-final. The result may seem him surpass his career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 43 on Monday.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Earlier this season, Dimitrov captured 5th and 6th ATP titles respectively at Brisbane (d. Thiem, Raonic and Nishikori) and Sofia (d. Goffin)
• Dimitrov broke back into Top 10 of Emirates ATP Rankings on July 17 for the first time since February 23, 2015

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Rafael Nadal remains on course to lift a record 31st ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown and second Cincinnati title on Friday by reaching the Western & Southern Open quarter-finals.

The top seed and 2013 champion knocked out his Spanish compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(1), 6-2 in one hour and 38 minutes mid-afternoon at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. He will now rest and prepare to meet Australian Nick Kyrgios later today. Nadal leads 2-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, ahead of their first hard-court meeting.

“I’m very happy to be in the quarter-finals,” said Nadal. “It was a tough match this afternoon against Albert, and now [it will be] another very, very difficult match against Kyrgios. So I just need to be ready, to play my best. The only way to try to have success in that match against Nick is just playing aggressive and play very focused all the time, and, of course play at a great level of tennis.”

Ramos-Vinolas held his own in the first set, using his powerful forehand to pierce Nadal’s defence. But the World No. 24, who was seeking his first win in his fourth meeting against Nadal, paid the price for attacking Nadal’s forehand. Ramos-Vinolas saved one set point at 4-5, Ad-out, with a forehand winner under pressure, but he crumbled in the tie-break.

Nadal recovered from 0/40 at 1-2, with three service winners, then broke Ramos-Vinolas in the next game and then again for a 5-2 lead. He finished by hitting a forehand winner.

Nadal, who has now won 22 sets in a row against Spanish players, will begin his fourth stint at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday. The 31 year old has compiled an ATP World Tour best 49-8 match record in 2017, including four titles from seven finals.

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Nick Kyrgios hung tough on Friday as he began a double shift at the Western & Southern Open. The Australian advanced to his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final (also Indian Wells and Miami) of the year by finding a way past Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in a 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 victory over one hour and 56 minutes. The pair began today with Karlovic leading 4-3 in the first set, following rain on Thursday.

Kyrgios will now play top seed and 2013 champion Rafael Nadal or Albert Ramos-Vinolas later today for a place in the semi-finals. Kyrgios trails Nadal 1-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but the pair has never met on hard courts. He leads Ramos-Vinolas 2-1 (1-1 on hard courts).

Karlovic broke Kyrgios in the final game of the first set and looked in a good serving rhythm (28 aces, losing 11 first-service points in total) before his Australian opponent made inroads on return, with clever low placement. Kyrgios led 5/2 in the tie-break, but Karlovic came close to a 6/5 advantage but for striking a forehand volley wide when lunging for the ball. Kyrgios maintained his composure in the decider and sealed the crucial break in the fourth game. Although Kyrgios could not convert two match points on Karlovic’s serve at 5-2, he closed out to love in the next game for his 24th match win of the season.

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