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WASHINGTON — Emma Raducanu earned her biggest semifinal appearance since her surprising 2021 US Open title, eliminating Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5 on Friday to reach the last four at the DC Open.
On a muggy day with the temperature topping 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius), Raducanu took a medical timeout while reeling off the last five games of the match after trailing 5-2 in the second set.
“I would like to say I’m pretty good in the heat, for the most part, but I was really struggling today,” said Raducanu, who was 18 when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles trophy. “It was one of the toughest matches, conditions-wise, I have ever played in. … Those points in the second set, I was getting a bit wobbly. I’m just happy I could close it out, and it was two sets.”
Also reaching the semifinals at the hard-court tournament in Washington was Leylah Fernandez, the runner-up to Raducanu at Flushing Meadows four years ago. Fernandez moved on with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over qualifier Taylor Townsend on Thursday.
Next for Fernandez is a matchup against 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, the highest remaining seed in the field at No. 3. Rybakina was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over No. 5 Magdalena Frech, the player who beat Venus Williams on Thursday night.
Raducanu’s semifinal opponent Saturday will be Anna Kalinskaya, who defeated No. 4 Clara Tauson 6-3, 7-5.
In men’s action, Ben Shelton made it to the DC Open semifinals for the second consecutive year, getting past Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (2), 6-4 in an all-American quarterfinal at night. Shelton won 90% of his first-serve points and ended the match with his ninth ace, at 146 mph.
The fourth-seeded Shelton, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, will face No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday for a berth in the final. Davidovich Fokina beat No. 1 seed Taylor Fritz 7-6 (3), 3-6, 7-5 on Friday night.
The other men’s semifinal will pit No. 7 Alex de Minaur against Corentin Moutet. De Minaur beat No. 14 Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-4, and Moutet was a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner over 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in a match delayed for about an hour late in the third set because of lightning in the area.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.