Taylor Fritz defeated Andy Murray in the third round of the 2023 Citi Open in Washington to reach the ATP 500 quarterfinals.
The two players met in what was a blockbuster third-round clash at the tournament in Washington. Only a couple of hours prior, fans in Kitzbuhel were treated to a three-hour epic in which Dominic Thiem beat Laslo Djere, and fans in Washington got the same treat.
Previously, the two met only once, and that match happened in Montreal last year, and it was a comfortable two-set win for the American. However, this time, it was much different, it was a real fight.
Fritz, who was coming off of a triumph in Atlanta, started better in the match, getting an early break and even having two chances to go up by two breaks in the opening set. The American even had a set point in the ninth game of the opening set, yet, the experienced Brit fought back and forced the tie-break.
Moreover, he was the better player in the first-set tie-break and essentially dominated it from start to finish. Former world no. 1 in the ATP Rankings won the opening set 7-2 in the tie-break and started the match very well.
But Fritz refused to give up, and he was clearly the better player in the second set. It all came down to break point conversion as both players had one chance, and while the top-seeded American used his chance, Murray couldn't do the same thing and the match went into the third set after Fritz won the second one 6-3.
The third set was a show of missed opportunities from Murray. He had a total of seven break points, but he couldn't use any of his chances. On the other hand, Fritz needed only two to break Murray in the worst possible moment for the Brit, and win the match 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 after using his third match point. In the quarterfinals, the American will play against Jordan Thompson from Australia, who defeated Christopher Eubanks in the first round.
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