- Taylor Fritz overcame a lackluster first set to move into the last eight in New York
- He’ll face either Alexander Zverev or Brandon Nakashima in the next round
Taylor Fritz has been a symbol of consistency this calendar year, but as he said before his marquee fourth-round matchup vs. Casper Ruud, he would need to ‘really raise the level’ to get past the world No. 8.
He was certainly able to do that with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win over the Norwegian in a match that was simultaneously defined by service prowess and struggles.
While Ruud committed some untimely double faults, including one to give Fritz the second set, Fritz fired 24 aces – including the match-clincher – as he was able to a start beset by unforced errors and distance himself from his opponent.
The world No. 12 is the first American to make the fourth round of all four Slams in a calendar year since Andre Agassi in 2003, and he’ll certainly take confidence from how he battled with Ruud as he looks to make his first Slam semifinal.
For Ruud’s serving wobbles later in the match, he was imperious early in the match as he held firm with his ground game – and it was he, not Fritz, who landed the first blow of the afternoon.
The first separation between the closely-ranked players came in the eighth game of the first set, as Ruud earned the first break with a deep return that forced Fritz to hit into the net, setting himself up to subsequently serve for the set.
Taylor Fritz shook off an opening-set loss to comfortably beat Casper Ruud on Sunday
Ruud started strong but faded and produced double-faults in some crucial moments
It was a mostly tight half hour or so of tennis, but it certainly was not Fritz’s finest showing as he committed 15 unforced errors to just seven for Ruud.
He would clean up his game up moving forward, but his eventual breakthrough in the second set still did not come easy as his serve ebbed and flowed at times.
One game that captured the inconsistency (and importance) of Fritz’s service in this match came at 2-2 in the second set, as he double-faulted to let Ruud get to 30-30, aced his next point, and then missed his first serve on the next point before firing long and going into a deuce (which he won with the help of another ace).
The next two games followed a similar service-centric theme, as Ruud had to survive a break point after two straight double-faults, while Fritz then escaped a double-break point with aces at 40-40 and in a deuce to retake the lead in the set.
It felt like Fritz may finally earn his breakthrough with Ruud serving down 3-4, as the pair played four deuces and Fritz had another break point.
Fritz played much cleaner tennis as the match went on and now finds himself in the last eight
But he just couldn’t get past his stubborn opponent, and on one point saw a miraculous save of a net-slam merely prolong another hold for the Norwegian.
But the dam would finally break for Fritz with Ruud serving at 5-4, as a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd urged on the top-ranked American man with ‘let’s go Taylor’ chants.
Yet again, service proved to be crucial as Ruud double-faulted and gave the second set to Fritz – and the American seized control of the match from there.
In both the third and fourth sets, Fritz would break his opponent at the first opportunity, and after some early mistakes from the American, it was Ruud that was now showing jitters as he double-faulted in the final set to give his opponent a comfortable 3-0 lead.
Fritz needed no further invitation to shut the door on the match, and is now within touching distance of making his first Slam semifinal.
A matchup vs. Alexander Zverev or Brandon Nakashima beckons, but he has every reason to be feeling good after a comprehensive win over Ruud.
