Novak Djokovic made it 7-0 against Taylor Fritz with a victory against the home favourite on Friday night at the Cincinnati Open here on Friday.

The Serb dominated in a 6-0, 6-4 win against the American to advance to the semi-finals.

“Every match is a new match, a new challenge for both of us,” Djokovic said of his perfect record against Fritz. “We never faced each other here. Obviously being the No. 1 American, he gets a lot of crowd support.”

Playing in his first tournament on US soil since 2021, Djokovic is bidding for his third title here and a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 singles crown.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz staved off an upset bid by Australian qualifier Max Purcell, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to earn a rematch with Hubert Hurkacz in the semi-finals.

Iga bows to Gauff

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek lost in the semi-final to Coco Gauff 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 4-6 on Saturday. On Friday, Swiatek had overcame a rough start and a dispute with the chair umpire to defeat Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-6, 6-1.

Vondrousova was up 5-4 and serving for the first set before Swiatek broke, eventually winning a tie-breaker before cruising in the second. The Czech’s left-handed serve made things difficult for the Polish four-time major singles champ.

“It wasn’t easy getting used to her lefty spin,” Swiatek said. “I practice sometimes with lefties at home. At the beginning, it might be a little bit tough. You just have to adjust.”

Swiatek had a post-match exchange with chair umpire Marija Cicak after she felt rushed by Vondrousova throughout the match. By rule, players have up to 25 seconds to serve following a point.

“I really respect Marija, but she’s also very strict with the rules,” Swiatek said. “I have to be ready when (Vondrousova) is ready. She was ready always when there was still 20 seconds. The last two games, we played some long rallies. I’m human, I need to breathe.”

No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka got past fifth seed Ons Jabeur 7-5, 6-3.