Taylor Fritz made his only major final in 2024 at the US Open. Since he came on tour in 2015, everyone expected him to be the next Pete Sampras. While we know there will never be another Pete Sampras, Americans had high hopes for Fritz. He has played in twenty-two finals and owns ten singles titles. Today he defeated fellow countryman, Patrick Kypson, 6-2, 6-2, 7-5. The third set was more complicated than it had to be.
Embed from Getty ImagesTaylor Fritz Plays Well On Grass: Is it enough?
At twenty-eight, [6] Taylor Fritz has more years behind him and less in front to accomplish winning that illusive major title. He has fifty percent of his titles on grass and fifty percent on hard court. Thus, perhaps this is the year that he gets his first major title. The problem for Fritz is his lack of mobility and his inability to adjust his game during the match. In some ways his game it too predictable.
Embed from Getty ImagesAmanda Anisimova Amongst Day 4 American Winners
[6] Amanda Anisimova won the first set easily and I thought, “smooth sailing for her now.” How quickly the momentum can shift. Let’s not forget that Sofia Kenin is not only a former top ten player, but she is also a former major champion. Things looked really grim for Anisimova in the third set; thus, it was nice to see her dig deep and find a way to victory. Somehow, she won 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(10-3). Unfortunately, Anisimova will face Keys in the next round.
Embed from Getty Images[23] Emma Navarro had to fight for this victory. Oksana Selekhmeteva won the first set 6-3. It is nice to see Navarro digging deep. She fought and was rewarded with the next two sets 6-4, 6-1. [26] Madison Keys struggled to get her rhythm, but managed to defeat Katie Swan 6-1, 6-4. Ashlyn Krueger defeated Mariam Bolkvadze 6-1, 6-0. Next up for Krueger is Daria Snigur, who upended the eight seed in the first round. This will be their first encounter.
[17] Frances Tiafoe wobbled and got by for most of this match. It eventually dawned on him that he needed to win this match today so that he can be well rested for his match against [10] Alexander Bublik. Tiafoe got the double break in the fourth set and crushed the will Jan Choinski to win 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.
Embed from Getty ImagesMarcos Giron is still fighting. At thirty-two years old, he is still hungry. He claimed his first title in 2024 on grass; thus, he can play on this surface. His two other finals which he lost were on the hard courts. How far can he go? I say don’t count him out just yet. He defeated Quentin Halys 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-4. Zachary Svajda had a tough battle on his hands against Kamil Majchrzak. Nevertheless, he found a way to the 2-6, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 victory.
Embed from Getty ImagesShnaider Amongst Fallen Day Four Seeds
[15] Diana Shnaider fell to Liudmila Samsonova. While it may seem like an upset, it wasn’t. Samsonova is a very good player, sadly, her game has been a tad erratic these last few years. Samsonova won 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. [20] Arthur Fils ran into the resurgent Matteo Berrettini and he was not up to the challenge. Berrettini won 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. American [28] Brandon Nakashima lost to the big serving veteran Jan-Lennard Struff. Struff won 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 7-6(7). My question though is will Struff really go far in the draw? Look at Otto Vitanen, who defeated [4] Ben Shelton. He lost in the next round to a player ranked one hundred and fourteen.
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