Top seed Bautista Agut reaches Winston-Salem semis

Top seed Roberto Bautista Agut stayed on track for a return to the ATP Winston-Salem Open final on Thursday with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) quarter-final win over Taylor Fritz.

The Spaniard didn't face a break point as he dispatched Fritz in 89 minutes. He fell in last year's final of the US Open tune-up event to compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta.

"I think it was a great match," said Bautista Agut, who will be playing his fifth semi-final of the season. He won the title this year in Chennai. "I played very solid... I played very aggressive."

He next faces Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff, who edged Croatian Borna Coric 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).

In other quarter-final matches, Britain's Kyle Edmund toppled sixth seeded American Steve Johnson 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 to reach his second semi-final of 2017.

The 22-year-old Edmund saved six of seven break points and overcame a strong serving day from Johnson, who hit 14 aces.

Edmund, ranked 45th in the world, won two qualifying matches at the weekend and has now won four main-draw matches.

He will take on Bosnian Damir Dzumhur for a place in the final. Dzumhur defeated South Korean Chung Hyeon 6-4, 6-2.

Dzumhur is in his second semi-final of the season, having reached the last four at Los Cabos in Mexico earlier this month.

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