Raducanu, Shelton, Moutet, Fernandez reach Semis

Washington

An action-packed day at the Mubadala Citi DC Open saw four rising stars advance to the semifinals in both the ATP and WTA draws, with standout performances lighting up Washington’s tennis courts.

Emma Raducanu impressed fans by reaching her first WTA hardcourt semifinal in three years. The British player defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5 in a tough two-hour match. Despite falling behind early, Raducanu fought back and maintained her unbeaten record against Sakkari, now 4-0. She will face Anna Kalinskaya of Russia in the semifinals. Kalinskaya upset Clara Tauson to move forward.

On the men’s side, American Ben Shelton thrilled home fans by beating Frances Tiafoe 7-6(2), 6-4. Shelton’s powerful forehands and bold serves proved too strong. The 22-year-old left-hander matched his semifinal showing from 2023 and will soon break into the Top 7 rankings, his best so far. He’ll face either Taylor Fritz or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the next round.

In a surprise result, French player Corentin Moutet knocked out World No. 14 Daniil Medvedev. After losing the first set 1-6, Moutet came back to win 6-4, 6-4. A lightning delay paused the match, but Moutet returned strong to seal his first ATP semifinal above 250-level.

Canada’s Leylah Fernandez also made headlines by beating Taylor Townsend 6-4, 7-6(4). Fernandez saved a set point in the second set and now faces third seed Elena Rybakina.

With exciting matchups ahead, the semifinals in Washington promise more drama and top-tier tennis.