Fritz fires up title defence in Delray Beach, saves set point in win

Top seed Taylor Fritz made a resilient start to his Delray Beach Open title defence on Wednesday evening when he squeaked by in-form Portuguese Nuno Borges 7-6(5), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.

The American was under pressure from the former Mississippi State standout, as Borges served for the first set and earned set point at 40/30. But Fritz saved it with a drop shot, clawed through the ensuing tie-break and surged to victory from there.

“The crowd was amazing. It’s one of my favourite things coming back to Delray every year. The crowd really shows up here, they love the tennis and I feel like I get a lot of support here, so it’s great.”

The top seed is through to the final 8 in Delray Beach 🔥@Taylor_Fritz97 dismisses Borges 7-6(5) 6-4.@DelrayBeachOpen | #DBOpen pic.twitter.com/s5G8CvHVsO

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 15, 2024

The No. 9 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings relied on his serve throughout the match, winning 87 per cent of his first-serve points and hitting 14 aces according to Infosys ATP Stats. He did not blast through the court as he often does due to the Delray Beach wind, but instead buckled down in key moments.

“I have to play a lot more solid, safer, more disciplined and just be patient with myself when some of the shots I am going for aren’t really going in,” Fritz said. “So I’m really happy with how I competed.”

One year ago, Fritz lost just one set en route to the Delray Beach title. He will hope to claim his first title of the season at the ATP 250 again this year.

“I remember last year when I won the tournament, I came in with like no expectations at all. I’d played the tournament like six times, had never won more than a match here, so I wasn’t expecting much and I think that’s a good mindset to have,” Fritz said. “It allowed me to win the title last year, so I’m trying my best to approach it the same. But obviously it’s not the same when you are defending champion.”

The top seed will next play Australian Rinky Hijikata, who battled past Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. It will be the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting and Hijikata will seek his maiden victory over a Top 10 player (0-5).

Also in the top half of the draw, American Patrick Kypson defeated Frenchman Constant Lestienne 6-4, 6-4. Entering the week, the wild card did not own a tour-level win. Now Kypson is into his first ATP Tour quarter-final.

The 24-year-old was opportunistic, converting four of his seven break points. He won 81 per cent of his first-serve points to move on.

It will not get any easier for Kypson against Dallas finalist Marcos Giron, who beat Adrian Mannarino for the second week in a row. The former UCLA star ousted the tricky Frenchman 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-1.