September 1, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA; Taylor Fritz (USA) celebrates after his match against Casper Ruud (Norway) (not pictured) in the Men’s Singles match on day seven of the 2024 US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz hit 24 aces and advanced to the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the second consecutive year with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 8 seed Casper Ruud on Sunday afternoon in New York.
Fritz defeated the Norwegian player 56-32. He won in two hours and 44 minutes.
“I just had to stay in it because I thought she outplayed me in the first set,” Fritz said. “I had some chances, she had some chances and she capitalized on them.
“He was playing well and I did a really good job at the start of the second game to deal with some tight service games and put pressure on the scoreboard. I think his level might have dropped a bit after that. I was getting more chances on the second serve and I could have easily won from there.”
Fritz saved 5 of 6 break points en route to reaching a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the third time this year. He has never reached the semifinals of a major tournament.
“To be honest, I’m taking it one match at a time. I think that might add to the pressure,” Fritz said. “I came into 2022 thinking I could win it and I lost in the first round. I think it’s good to take it one match at a time.”
Fritz will face fourth seed Alexander Zverev of Germany or fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals. Zverev and Nakashima were also playing on Sunday.
No. 9 seed Grigor Dimitrov also reached the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3 win over No. 6 Andrey Rublev of Russia.
The Bulgarian started fast but Rublev levelled the match and then reached the Grand Slam quarterfinal for the eighth time in his career. This is his second time at the US Open. He lost in the semifinal to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in 2019.
Dimitrov saved 13 of 18 break points and hit 17 aces, four fewer than Rublev’s total in the 3 hour 40 minute marathon. Rublev had a 47-41 edge in winners.
Dimitrov will face either No. 20 Frances Tiafoe or No. 28 Alexei Popyrin of Australia in the quarterfinals. The two will play on Sunday night.
“I’m trying to enjoy every moment and I’m celebrating every day that I have the opportunity to play here,” Dimitrov said. “I’m just focusing on myself. The last couple of weeks have been really tough with my body and everything. So I just want to focus on my rehabilitation and the good things I did today, things I can improve on, just keep it as simple as possible, and I’m thrilled to be getting to week two.”
–Field Level Media