Taylor Fritz beats Andrey Rublev to reach Cincinnati quarter final
Taylor Fritz patiently waited for his chance to pounce which he did late in the final set beating Andrey Rublev at the Western & Southern Open.
Fans were treated to a number of breathtaking early rallies with break points for both players mainly due to serving errors.
Although neither player was able to convert those break points, they each gave early indications of how they intended to challenge the other.
Most of those efforts were focused on exploiting every weak serve, particularly the second. Both players were able to hold their own serves as the match went on, but neither was playing that well and committed numerous mistakes.
Late in the first set both players had opportunities, but Rublev blew a break point and Fritz failed to convert a set point.
A tiebreak followed when Fritz’s poor decisions gave Rublev an early lead. He maintained his composure and delivered a strong serve to end.
Raw power ๐ฅ
This booming forehand by @Taylor_Fritz97 was clocked at 100 MPH! #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/aGAbBisVi8
โ Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 18, 2022
Fritz didn’t allow losing the set to bother him as he played better in the second. An early advantage became a double break as Rublev’s performance worsened due to a physical problem.
Fritz won the second set but Rublev came back focused in the third losing very few points on serve. Fritz kept up but his tennis was less convincing overall.
Even so, Fritz was able to create a break chance late in the final set and a forehand error by Rublev saw him take the lead. The American booked his quarterfinal spot in the next game after a two and half hour battle.
Fritz will now take on the winner of top seed Daniil Medvedev versus Denis Shapovalov
๐พ Free >> Join our legendary newsletter
๐พย Join >> Receive $700/ยฃ600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB
๐พ Social >> Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube
๐พ Read >> World’s best tennis magazine
๐พ Watch >> How to enjoy ATP/WTA/Slam tennis on TV
๐พ Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner