Nakashima Avenges De Minaur, Sets All-American Semi With Fritz

Osaka defeats Elisabeth Cocciaretto

All-American clash and teen breakthrough headline Washington Open final four. De Minaur stunned by Nakashima in Washington quarter-finals, Osaka advances.

Washington Open Semis Set: Osaka vs Eala, Pegula vs Shnaider; Nakashima vs Fritz, Tabilo vs Jodar...

 

Brandon Nakashima upset defending champ Alex de Minaur to reach the Washington semis, while Naomi Osaka also booked her spot in the final four.

The Washington Open quarter-finals delivered surprises on Friday. Top seed and defending champion Alex de Minaur and No.2 seed Ben Shelton were both eliminated from the combined ATP-WTA event.

De Minaur will regret the opportunities that slipped away as he fell 7-6(5), 6-4 to world No.33 Brandon Nakashima.

Alejandro Tabilo bounced back from an early break in the decider to knock out home favorite Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. The Chilean, ranked No.30, sealed the win after 2 hours and 23 minutes.

On the WTA side, top seed Jessica Pegula and No.3 seed Naomi Osaka advanced to the semis. But No.2 seed Elina Svitolina was upset by Philippines breakout Alexandra Eala.

Brandon Nakashima is hunting his first ATP 500 crown. He got revenge on De Minaur after losing to him in last year’s Washington quarters, and also beat the Aussie earlier this year at Queen’s Club in London.

“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.

“It's a little bit frustrating, but you live and you learn.”

Brandon Nakashima set up an all-American semi-final for Saturday against No.10 Taylor Fritz. Fritz survived a match point to edge fellow American Alex Michelsen 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(6).

The 2022 San Diego champion was solid under pressure, saving 6 of 7 break points. Nakashima also blasted 10 aces, with one sealing the opening set.

“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.”

It took Alejandro Tabilo 2 hours and 23 minutes to get past the big-hitting Ben Shelton. The Chilean showed off his full bag of tricks, including a flashy tweener lob and several clean volleys at the net.

Tabilo fended off 4 break points in set two before breaking in the 12th game to level the match. When Shelton grabbed a break for 3-2 in the decider, Tabilo responded right away to stay on level terms.

Jodar Breaks Into Top 20 As Tabilo And Pegula Advance

He earned the decisive break in the final game as patience paid off. A frustrated Shelton missed a forehand on match point to seal it.

Tabilo will now meet 19-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar. Jodar staged a comeback to defeat No.4 seed Lorenzo Musetti 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.

This is Jodar’s third semi-final of the year, and the result guarantees he will enter the top 20 for the first time.

Final 4 🤩@mubadaladcopen | #MubadalaDCOpen pic.twitter.com/CABTWwADMQ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 1, 2026

Jessica Pegula, the world No.3 and 2019 Washington champion, beat No.20 Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 7-5. It’s her sixth WTA semi-final of 2025.

Pegula will face No.4 seed Diana Shnaider for a spot in the final. Shnaider advanced by defeating fellow Russian Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-4.

Third seed Naomi Osaka of Japan fought back to beat Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The four-time major champion is into the semis.

The final 4 in DC 🔥@MercedesBenz | #MubadalaDCOpen pic.twitter.com/CczYIFP9s4

— wta (@WTA) August 1, 2026

World No.13 Osaka now meets Alexandra Eala after the Filipino upset Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-4.

Eala already knocked out defending champion and No.7 seed Leylah Fernandez in round two. With the win over Svitolina, she notched her sixth top-10 victory this year and made a third semi-final in 2025.