Saturday evening sees the DC Open reach the semi-final stage with the ATP and WTA Finals to be confirmed. Only four players remain in each draw after a frenetic Friday which saw many players play twice.

As ever TennisUpToDate will preview the action with the Schedule now confirmed for Day Six in Washington, with only two days remaining before focus shifts to Canada and the Canadian Open in Montreal and Toronto.

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Pegula-Sakkari and Gauff-Samsonova set for WTA semi-finals

The WTA part of the draw offers an interesting complexion. Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are usually doubles partners, but this week refrained from playing together.

Mainly due to the schedule and the upcoming WTA 1000's and US Open. The irony of that is that they could yet meet in the final. In opposing sides to the draw, they also anchor home hopes with Greece and Russia being on the opposite side.

So what about the two players they will face. It is very much the model of consistency in the first semi-final. Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari are famed in particular for their Miami clash back in 2021. But both are well known for reaching latter stages of tournaments albeit in the most part without the rewards.

Sakkari in particular infamously only holds one WTA title despite her lofty ranking and has a hoodoo at times with getting past the semi-finals. In terms of Head to Head, Sakkari leads 4-3. Pegula won their only meeting this year in Doha.

The other half of the draw sees Gauff play Liudmila Samsonova. Kostyuk, Collins and Cirstea fell by the wayside for the Russian who is defending champion. She defeated Kaia Kanepi last year albeit when it was an ATP 250. But also sealed Tennis in the Land Cleveland so has form for turning up on Hard Courts.

She also has one final loss on the surface this year in Abu Dhabi. For Gauff as third seed, it has been a bit easier, she has eased through Hailey Baptiste and Belinda Bencic. It would be only a second title of the season with victory back in Auckland earlier this year.

Head to Head, they have only played back in 2019 with Gauff winning both in three sets in qualifiers.

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ATP Semi-Finals as Fritz leads

Home hero Taylor Fritz pulled double duty yesterday and faces Tallon Griekspoor in an interesting semi-final line-up. Head to Head is one which sees Fritz lead 1-0. Albeit all the way back in 2020, he saw off Griekspoor at the Australian Open 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. 

But playing twice could play a factor with Dan Evans facing Grigor Dimitrov in the second semi-final. That Head to Head is a lot more varied with it being 3-2 to Dimitrov. Albeit stretching back to 2011 and most meetings being in 2020.

Evans holds the most recent win. He saw off Dimitrov back in Vienna in the Quarter-Finals that year and will aim to do one better in the next round and reach the final after taking down Frances Tiafoe.

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