Tennis-Alcaraz into semis, Indian Wells defending champion Fritz knocked out

Mar 16, 2023; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Jannik Sinner (ITA) hits a shot as he won his quarterfinal match defeating Taylor Fritz (USA) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

(Reuters) -Top seed Carlos Alcaraz downed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4 6-4 on Thursday to book an Indian Wells semi-final place against Jannik Sinner after the Italian knocked out defending champion Taylor Fritz 6-4 4-6 6-4.

U.S. Open champion Alcaraz got off to a flying start, forcing the Canadian to save four break points before landing an inch-perfect forehand winner to break for a 3-2 lead in the opening set.