Houston Open: Reigning Champion Garin beats Fritz, to face Isner in semis

Reigning Champion Cristian Garin beat No. 2 seed Taylor Fritz 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3 on Friday to reach the semifinals at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship and improve his career record at the tournament to 8-0.

Fritz is the highest-ranked American man at No. 13 and had won nine of his past 10 matches, including a title at Indian Wells, California, last month.

Garin claimed the Houston title in 2019, and the event wasn’t held either of the next two years because of the Pandemic.

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The fifth-Seeded Garin, who is ranked 29th, will face No. 4 seed John Isner on Saturday for a berth in the final. Isner got past Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in Friday’s last singles match with the help of 16 aces, 22 fewer than the Houston record 38 he hit in his previous Victory.

The other semifinal will be No. 3 seed Reilly Opelka against Nick Kyrgios.

Opelka reached his second career tour-level semifinal on clay – they made it that far in Rome last year, too – by defeating 361st-ranked Qualifier Gijs Brouwer.

The big-serving Opelka has been bothered by his right shoulder since last month and hit a low-for-him total of four aces against Brouwer.

Kyrgios advanced when Lucky loser Michael Mmoh withdrew before their quarterfinals because of a strained right groin muscle.