Sinner To Face Brooksby In Washington SF, Nishikori Advances

The youth movement is full-on in Washington D.C. A day after Rafael Nadal was stunned, a pair of under 21s will be in battle in the semifinals.

Teen Jannik Sinner rolled into the semifinals ousting American Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-2.

“It is not easy, he is a big server,” Sinner told the crowd “You have to find the right balance on court. I tried to move him earlier than he moved me, and I think that was the key today. I tried to get further forward and push him back and make him change something.

”He is a huge server, so if you return in the same way he can get used to it, so you need to change It up. I think I have done that today quite well and my serve today was better.”

Sinner, 19, will face the hot-handed Jensen Brooksby who continued to impress cruising past John Millman 6-1, 6-2.

”He is going to make you work hard but I know I am physical and I started really strongly in the first set,” Brooksby said. “I sort of lost focus at times in the second set but that is part of it. I was still able to stay positive throughout.

“Starting strong is my mentality. It means the preparation up to it is good. What I need to work on the most is when it gets later on in matches. It was harder today, but I am in good shape.”

The 20-year-old Brooksby has won 10 of his last 12 matches on tour this summer with a final and Newport, a quarterfinal at the Lexington Challenger and a final four run this week.

In the top half, Kei Nishikori remains the class after ousting Lloyd Harris 6-3, 7-5. He’ll take on Mackenzie McDonald who upended countryman Denis Kudla 6-3, 6-2.

“It was one of the best tennis that I played all this week,” Nishikori said after his win over Harris. “I think that I started very good – almost too good – until 4-0 and then he started playing better. Things got very tight in the second set; I had so many break points but I couldn’t convert. It was a little stressful, but I am very pleased with how I finished the last points.”

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