Zhang Shuai Returns to WTA 500 Semifinals; Yuan Yue Falls to American; Medvedev Sweeps FAA to Face Dutch No.1 for Title

Three minutes a day, stay updated on global tennis. Hello tennis fans, today is Saturday, February 28, 2026. Welcome to the News Noon Report from "Tennis Home".

This morning Beijing time, the WTA 500 Merida Open held its singles quarterfinals. In a key match concluding around noon, Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai maintained fine form, sweeping past Andorran qualifier Kasintseva 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the semifinals. This marks Zhang's third career WTA 500 semifinal appearance, her first since the 2022 Tokyo event, after a three-and-a-half-year gap.

In the semifinals, she will face Poland's Fruhvirtova, who defeated Czech player Bouzkova 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. In their previous head-to-head, Zhang leads Fruhvirtova 2-1 and stands a good chance to win again. Fans can look forward to possibly seeing Zhang in the final!

In another match, Spain's Bucsa secured her semifinal spot by eliminating Turkey's Sonmez 6-3, 6-4.

WTA 250 Austin: In the singles quarterfinals, fourth seed Stearns defeated Russia's Selekhmeteva 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 to reach her fourth career tour-level semifinal. She will next face Australia's Birrell, who defeated compatriot Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-3. American Townsend also claimed a semifinal berth with a strong comeback, beating Switzerland's Massalova 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

The final quarterfinal, featuring China's Yuan Yue against American Krueger, started around 11 AM Beijing time today. After a tough two-set battle, Yuan ultimately fell 6-7, 4-6, ending her semifinal hopes. Despite the loss, reaching the quarterfinals as a lucky loser and rising to a live ranking of No. 120 makes this Austin trip a valuable one for "Yueyue"!

Shifting focus to the men's tour. This morning Beijing time, the ATP 500 Acapulco semifinals commenced. Fifth seed and Italian rising star Cobolli took to the court first, defeating Serbia's Kecmanovic 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 to secure a spot in the championship match.

The other semifinal is an all-American clash between Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima. As of this report, the match had just begun.

At the ATP 500 Dubai, the singles semifinals concluded last night Beijing time, finalizing the championship lineup. Third seed and Russian star Daniil Medvedev continued his hot streak, ousting top seed and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the final. This marks Medvedev's return to the Dubai final after three years and his 42nd career tour-level singles final.

The other final ticket was claimed by Dutch No.1 Tallon Griekspoor, who saved two consecutive match points in the second-set tiebreak to edge past Russian star Andrey Rublev 7-5, 7-6(6), securing his first win in four meetings and reaching his sixth career tour final. However, Griekspoor sustained a leg injury during the match against Rublev, casting doubt on his availability for the final.

ATP 250 Santiago: In the singles quarterfinals, the 2024 champion, Argentina's 170th-ranked Baez, defeated eighth seed Tabilo 7-6(2), 6-1 to reach his third tour semifinal this season. He will face second seed Darderi in the semis, who ousted compatriot and dark horse Pellegrino 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. The other two semifinal spots were taken by Germany's Hanfmann and Argentina's F. Cerundolo.

Let's turn to other news. This morning Beijing time, the ATP/WTA 1000 Indian Wells announced its main draw wildcard list. On the men's side: French veteran Gael Monfils, Americans Zheng Rui, Dam, Shvayda, and Spanish youngster Hodar are among the recipients.

On the women's side: Canada's Bianca Andreescu, Americans Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Jennifer Brady, Alycia Parks, Katie Volynets, Croatia's Donna Vekic, and Austrian youngster Tagler have received entries.

Finally, time for a guess-the-player challenge. The image below shows a player in match action. Without any hints, can you identify who she is?

The answer from our last guess-the-player was correctly provided by fans. Yes, the person in the image is American rising star Jovic.

(Source: Tennis Home, Author:特立独行)