Fritz comes back against Ruud, reaches the quarterfinals and is looking forward to New York | ATP Tour

US Open

Fritz comes back against Ruud, reaches the quarterfinals and is excited about New York

The American achieved only his third victory against a Top 10 player in Grand Slams

September 01, 2024

Taylor Fritz wants to dream big in New York and this Sunday he took revenge against Casper Ruud, beating the Norwegian 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 and 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals at the US Open for the second consecutive year.

The American had lost to Ruud in the fourth round at Roland Garros, but this time he made sure that history would not repeat itself under the roof of the Louis Armstrong stadium. Fritz hit 56 winners to Ruud’s 32 and harnessed the energy of the crowd to win in two hours and 44 minutes.

“I had to hold on because I felt like he had me outplayed in the first set. I had some opportunities, he had them and he took them,” Fritz said. “He was playing well and I did a good job of fighting back early in the second set to get through some tight service games and put some pressure on the scoreboard. I think his level dropped a little bit. I had more opportunities with second serves and I was able to outplay him.”

With his third win against a Top 10 player, Fritz will face either fourth seed Alexander Zverev or compatriot Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals. Fritz will attempt to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time when he takes the court on Tuesday, having lost in the quarterfinals four times.

“I’m really taking it game by game. I think that can add more pressure,” Fritz said when asked about his title chances. “I came into 2022 saying I could win it and I lost in the first round. I think it’s good to take it game by game.”

For now, Fritz’s run of form on home soil has boosted his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. The 26-year-old, who reached the semi-finals at the year-end event in 2022, is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 115 points behind eighth-placed Alex de Minaur, who occupies the final qualifying spot and is still alive at Flushing Meadows.

In his third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Ruud, Fritz served well throughout the match, hitting 24 aces and winning 84 percent (53/63) of his first serves. Serving strong, the 12th seed put pressure on Ruud’s serve and earned four breaks to claim his first win against the World No. 8. In the fourth set, the American hit 18 winners and only one unforced error.