When the Australian Open draw came out, many observers penciled in a potential quarterfinal between world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
When the Australian Open draw came out, many observers penciled in a potential quarterfinal between world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas in a rematch of last year’s final won by Djokovic.
But Taylor Fritz had his own vision for how the tournament would play out, and it didn’t involve Tsitsipas advancing.
The 6-foot-6 Fritz reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time with a 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win over Tsitsipas, Nick Kyrgios’s pick to win the tournament, and will meet 10-time champion Djokovic next. He banged out 13 aces and won 73% of his first-serve points while converting 4-of-11 break point chances.
“I think I served well, the whole match, it kept me in it,” said No. 12 Fritz after his first victory over a top 10 player at a major. “And then at the very end when I really needed it, I feel like I just, I turned it up a level and started playing my absolute best tennis to finish it.
