Defending champion Alex de Minaur and second-seeded Ben Shelton were bounced out of the Washington Open on Friday as upsets marked the quarter-finals of the combined ATP and WTA event.<\/p>\n
Top-seeded Aussie de Minaur<\/a> was left to rue his missed chances in a 7-6 (7\/5), 6-4 loss to 33rd-ranked American Brandon Nakashima<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chile’s 30th-ranked Alejandro Tabilo<\/a> recovered an early break in the third set to beat US home favorite Shelton<\/a> 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.<\/p>\n Women’s top seed Jessica Pegula<\/a> and third-seeded Naomi Osaka<\/a> made it safely into the semi-finals, but second-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina<\/a> was sent packing by rising Philippines star Alexandra Eala<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nakashima, chasing his first ATP 500-level title, avenged a loss to de Minaur in last year’s Washington quarter-finals and followed up a win over the Aussie at Queen’s Club in London this year.<\/p>\n “He came out with some great serving; a lot of first serves,” de Minaur said. “I played at a high level. I just threw in two pretty awful games on my serve.<\/p>\n “It’s a little bit frustrating, but you live and you learn.”<\/p>\n Nakashima booked a Saturday all-American semi-final against 10th-ranked Taylor Fritz<\/a>, who saved a match point in a 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (8\/6) victory over compatriot Alex Michelsen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nakashima, whose only ATP title came at San Diego in 2022, saved six of the seven break points he faced and fired 10 aces — including one to take the first set.<\/p>\n “He’s a very quick and explosive player,” Nakashima said. “I knew I had to serve well at the crucial moments and try to be aggressive.”<\/p>\n Tabilo needed two hours and 23 minutes to subdue the hard-hitting Shelton, pulling out an array of shots that included an impressive “tweener” lob and a string of crisp volleys.<\/p>\n He saved four break points in the second set and broke Shelton in the 12th game to force the third. After Shelton broke for a 3-2 lead, Tabilo broke back immediately to keep the pressure on.<\/p>\n Jodar rallies<\/p>\n He was rewarded for his perseverance with a break in the final game, an increasingly frustrated Shelton firing a forehand into the net on match point.<\/p>\n Tabilo next faces 19-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar<\/a>, who ousted fourth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti<\/a> 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.<\/p>\n By reaching his third semi-final of the season, Jodar is assured of breaking into the top 20 in the world rankings for the first time.<\/p>\n World number three Pegula, who won her first WTA title at Washington in 2019, eliminated 20th-ranked Anna Kalinskaya<\/a> 6-3, 7-5, to reach her sixth WTA semi-final of the year.<\/p>\n The American will play for a berth in the final against fourth-seed Diana Shnaider<\/a>, who beat Russian compatriot Liudmila Samsonova<\/a> 6-3, 6-4.<\/p>\n Japan’s third-seeded Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, rallied to eliminate Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto<\/a> 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.<\/p>\n World number 13 Osaka will face Eala, who beat Svitolina 6-3, 6-4.<\/p>\n