WINSTON-SALEM, August 25, 2017

The semi-finals of the Winston-Salem Open are set. The top-seed of the lone ATP World Tour event taking place this week, Roberto Bautista-Agut, defeated US-American wild card entry Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-6 on Thursday.

Bautista Agut won 80 per cent of his service points and didn’t face a break point in the 89-minute quarterfinal. The World No. 15 from Spain fell in last year’s title match to countryman Pablo Carreno Busta.

“I think it was a great match I played very solid… I played very aggressive,” Bautista Agut said. He will next take on Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, who beat #NextGenATP Croatian Borna Coric 6-4, 7-6. The encounter lasted one hour and 29 minutes.

Struff has reached the stage of the final four for the first time of the season and his first since Metz in 2014. “It feels very good. Last time I reached the semi-finals was a long time ago so I’m very happy,” Struff said. “Borna is a very tough opponent. I was fighting for every point.”

British qualifier Kyle Edmund rallied past sixth seed Steve Johnson from the United States 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. The 22-year-old withstood 14 aces, hitting five of his own to prevail after almost two hours of play. Next up for Edmund will be Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who beat #NextGenATP Korean Hyeon Chung 6-4, 6-2.