Tennis Matches Today: Top 5 players one shouldn't miss ft. Iga Swiatek, Stefanos Tsitsipas

Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on three-time Major finalist Casper Ruud in the semifinals of the Los Cabos Open. World No. 6 Alexander Zverev marched into the last four here as well.

Iga Swiatek continues to breeze through the draw at the Dubai Tennis Championships. She's now on the cusp of reaching the championship round here once again. The Pole will contest her semifinal match on Friday evening against Anna Kalinskaya.

Over at the Qatar Open, Gael Monfils and Karen Khachanov have made their way to the semifinals as well. Should they win their respective matches, the two could face off in the final.

Here are the five matches set for Friday that one cannot afford to skip:

#1 - Iga Swiatek vs Anna Kalinskaya

Swiatek will face qualifier Kalinskaya for a spot in her second straight final at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The Pole downed Zheng Qinwen in the previous round for her seventh consecutive victory, all in straight sets to boot.

Kalinskaya, meanwhile, staged a comeback to defeat Coco Gauff 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. She now faces the difficult task of stopping the rampaging Swiatek. The World No. 1 has brushed off her opponents with ease over the past few days. Any other outcome in her semifinal showdown against the Russian would be quite surprising.

Date: February 23, 2024.

Time: Starting at 7:00 p.m. local time, 3:00 p.m. GMT, 8:30 p.m. IST and 10:00 a.m. ET.

Where to watch Dubai Tennis Championships

Viewers in the USA and UK can watch the Dubai Tennis Championships live on the following channels and sites:

USA: The official broadcaster in the region is Tennis Channel.

UK: Matches will be telecast on Sky Sports.

For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.

#2 - Gael Monfils vs Jakub Mensik

Monfils is aiming to reach his first final of the season at the Qatar Open.

Monfils made light work of compatriot and third seed Ugo Humbert as he scored a 6-2, 6-4 win over him in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open. Mensik, meanwhile, continued his giant-killing spree as he toppled top seed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-6 (6).

The Czech teen previously defeated Andy Murray and fifth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. This is Monfils' best run at a tournament this year, while Mensik is in the midst of a career breakthrough. This clash between the French veteran and the rising star promises to be an exciting affair.

Date: February 23, 2024.

Time: Approx. 8:00 p.m. local time, 5:00 p.m. GMT, 12:00 p.m. ET and 10:30 p.m. IST.

#3 - Karen Khachanov vs Alexei Popyrin

Emil Ruusuvuori retired at 3-0 in the first set during his quarterfinal clash against Khachanov, thus sending the latter into the semifinals. Popyrin defeated fourth seed Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-4 to reach his third career semifinal.

Khachanov will be the favorite to come through this clash given his resume, but the Qatar Open has been marked with upsets. It wouldn't be too much of a shock if Popyrin does manage to send the Russian packing.

Date: February 23, 2024.

Time: Starting at 6:00 p.m. local time, 3:00 p.m. GMT, 10:00 a.m. ET and 8:30 p.m. IST.

Where to watch Qatar Open 2024?

Viewers from the following countries can watch the tournament live on their respective channels and sites:

USA: All matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.

UK: Fans in the region can tune in to Sky Sports.

Canada: Viewers in Canada can watch all the matches on TSN+.

#4 - Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Casper Ruud

Stefanos Tsitsipas is the defending champion at the Los Cabos Open.

Tsitsipas recently exited the top 10 of the ATP rankings, but the defending champion at the Los Cabos Open has played well so far. He defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6 (1), 6-3 in the quarterfinals to notch up his sixth consecutive win at the venue.

Ruud has been in fine form as well as handed Marcos Giron a 6-1, 6-0 beatdown in the second round and followed it up with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Nuno Borges in the quarterfinals. He has also reached the semifinals in doubles.

The two have crossed paths just twice before, with each having a lone win over the other. Tsitsipas triumphed at the 2021 Canadian Open, while Ruud won their meeting at the Madrid Open a few months before that. Given how they've played here so far, this match between the two former top 10 players is a must-see affair.

Date: February 23, 2024 (USA & Canada), February 24, 2024 (UK/Europe & India).

Time: Starting at 7:00 p.m. local time, 9:00 p.m. ET, 2:00 a.m. GMT and 7:30 a.m. IST.

#5 - Alexander Zverev vs Jordan Thompson

Thompson staged an incredible comeback as he fended off three match points to defeat Alex Michelsen 0-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5 in the quarterfinals. He has now reached his second semifinal of the year, following his previous one at last month's Brisbane International.

Zverev continued his strong start to the season as he has reached yet another semifinal, this time at the Los Cabos Open. The top seed downed Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semifinals.

Having won the United Cup with Germany at the start of the year, Zverev will be aiming for a chance to claim another trophy by reaching the final here. Thompson, on his part, will try to avert that and aim to reach his third career final.

Date: February 23, 2024 (USA & Canada), February 24, 2024 (UK/Europe & India).

Time: Not before 9:00 p.m. local time, 11:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 a.m. GMT and 9:30 a.m. IST.