Taylor Fritz defeats Casper Ruud at US Open | ATP Tour

Match Report

Fritz fires past Ruud & into US Open QFs

American earns third Top 10 win at majors

September 01, 2024

Taylor Fritz gained revenge against Casper Ruud on Sunday at the US Open, where he overcame the Norwegian 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals in New York for the second consecutive year.

The American fell to Ruud in the fourth round at Roland Garros earlier this year but ensured history would not repeat itself under the roof on Louis Armstrong Stadium. In a statement display, Fritz fired 56 winners to Ruud’s 32 and used the energy of the home crowd to triumph after two hours and 44 minutes.

“I just had to stay in it because I felt like he outplayed me in the first set. I had some chances, he had some chances and he took them,” Fritz said. “He was playing well and I did a really good job to fight at the start of the second to get through some tight service games and apply some scoreboard pressure. I feel his level then maybe dropped a little bit. I was getting more looks on second serves and I could just get through it from there.”

TAYLOR MADE 🥶

American No. 1 @Taylor_Fritz97 punches his 🎟️ into his FIFTH Grand Slam quarter-final, taking out Ruud in four sets! @usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/zF38NyMxJL

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 1, 2024

With his third Top 10 win at a major, Fritz set a quarter-final meeting with fourth seed Alexander Zverev or countryman Brandon Nakashima. Fritz will be trying to reach the semi-finals at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time when he takes to court on Tuesday, having fallen in the quarter-finals four times.

“I am taking it one match at a time to be honest. I think that can add more pressure,” Fritz said when asked about his title chances. “I came in 2022 saying I could win it and I lost first round. I think it is good to take it one match at a time.”

Fritz’s run on home soil in New York has boosted his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. The 26-year-old, who reached the semis at the year-end event in 2022, is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 115 points behind eighth-placed Alex de Minaur, who occupies the final qualification spot and is still alive at Flushing Meadows.

In his third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Ruud, Fritz served well throughout, firing 24 aces and winning 84 per (53/63) of his first-serve points. His impressive foundation on serve allowed the 12th seed to apply pressure on Ruud’s serve, with Fritz breaking four times in the clash to earn his first win against the World No. 8. In the fourth set, the American hit 18 winners and just one unforced errors.

Ruud, who advanced to the final at the US Open in 2022, leaves New York fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.