Fritz sets up Tiafoe meeting in Tokyo final after beating in-form Shapovalov
ATP
Taylor Fritz will play in the final of the 2022 Japan Open in Tokyo after he was able to beat Denis Shapovalov in three sets.
After Nick Kyrgios withdrew from their quarter-final match, Fritz secured his spot in the semi-finals of the ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo, with his opponent being Denis Shapovalov.
Another American in the draw, Frances Tiafoe defeated Soonwoo Kwon in the first semi-final of the day in Tokyo, and a few hours later, Fritz ensured an all-American final after defeating Shapovalov in a three-set battle that lasted more than two hours.
The Canadian has been playing really well lately. He played in the final match in Seoul and was again only two matches away from winning a title in Tokyo.
Yet, from the moment the match started, Fritz was showing that it wouldn't be easy to beat him. He earned a hard-fought break in the fourth game of the opening set and never gave his opponent a chance to break back in the following games to win the first set 6-3 in only 35 minutes.
In the second set, both players traded breaks in the fifth and sixth games, but since none of them could increase the advantage, the second set had to be decided in a tie-break.
The American player came as close as two points to winning the match, but eventually, Shapovalov prevailed and won the tie-break 7-5 to force a decider in Tokyo.
Confident after leveling the score, Shapovalov was up 3-1 in the third set. It seemed that he would be able to reach another final, but little did he know that the fourth game of the third set would be the last that he managed to win.
He lost all the remaining games, and Fritz won the match 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 to set up the final against Tiafoe. The winner of the 2022 Japan Open will get 500 points and more than $350,000 in prize money.
