(Reuters) -Top seed and home favourite Alexander Zverev beat Brandon Nakashima 7-5 6-4 to advance to the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open on Friday while Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton also reached the last four.

Top seed Alexander Zverev reached the Stuttgart Open semi-finals on Friday, and so did Felix Auger-Aliassime by stopping German teenager Justin Engel. Zverev defeated American Brandon Nakashima 7-5, 6-4 in one and a half hours.

Playing on home soil, Zverev saved both break points he faced against Nakashima before emerging a 7-5 6-4 victor in one hour and 31 minutes