ATLANTA (AP) Three-time defending champion John Isner beat Taylor Fritz 7-5, 6-4 on Friday night in an all-American match to advance to the BB&T Atlanta Open semifinals.
The 6-foot-10 Isner played set up a match with the man who replaced him as the tallest player on the ATP World Tour, 6-foot-11 American teen Reilly Opelka.
The top-seeded Isner overpowered the eighth-seeded Fritz with 20 aces to improve to 22-3 in the hardcourt event. The former University of Georgia star has reached the finals five of the previous six years.
The 18-year-old Opelka topped seventh-seeded Donald Young 6-4, 6-4 in another all-American match to reach his first tour semifinal.
''I've been doing a really good job with my movement, winning points on my opponent's serve,'' Opelka said.'' ''The way I am serving now, I know I can at least get to a tie-break. But being able to hit good returns and passing shots is huge.''
In the other semifinal, second-seeded Nick Kyrgios of Australia will face Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka.
Kyrgios beat fifth-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, and Nishioka topped Argentina's Horacio Zeballos 6-4, 6-4 to reach his first tour semifinal.
''I've been working on my serve a lot. More percentage, more power,'' the 20-year-old Nishioka said. ''And before I was very emotional, throwing rackets and getting frustrated. But I've been more calm since Wimbledon. I think that's why I'm winning more now.''
Kyrgios won in Marseille, France, in February for his lone tour title.
