New York (AFP) – Taylor Fritz, last year’s runner-up and the only American man left in the US Open draw, raced into the quarter-finals Sunday with a straight-sets win over Tomas Machac. Fritz barely gave the Czech 21st seed a sniff and didn’t face a single break point as he wrapped up a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win in an hour and 38 minutes.
Hopes of a first US men’s Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick in 2003 are pinned squarely on Fritz after the third-round departures of Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul, and Frances Tiafoe. “Hopefully the crowd is really going to get behind me now because I am the last guy,” said Fritz. “It’s surprising. I think it’s just been a rough week for the guys. I mean, it’s tough, Ben with the injury, then I think Foe and Tommy just ran into some guys who were playing — dangerous players, playing really good tennis, so it happens. I’m happy to be here and hopefully, like I said, if the crowd can get behind me, we can do this.”
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Fritz has reached the last eight in New York three years running now. He lost to Jannik Sinner in the final in 2024, but the odds are stacked against the fourth seed repeating that run. Fritz will play Novak Djokovic on Tuesday, having lost all 10 of their past meetings including the quarter-finals of the 2023 US Open when the Serbian won the last of his 24 Grand Slam titles.
“I think the first, almost like seven or eight times I played him, I probably just wasn’t a good enough player to really have that much of a chance,” said Fritz. “I think only the last couple times we’ve played I think I’ve been this just better player that can, you know, I’d say compete and have chances. That’s what makes the best guys the best guys. They’re not going to give it to you in those moments. You have to go and take it.”
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