Taylor Fritz came away from his first-round victory at the Dallas Open feeling positive about one particular aspect of his game.
He had suffered a knee problem during the Australian Open, which ended his campaign in the fourth round. Yet he climbed one place in the ATP rankings even though he failed to live up to his hopes in Melbourne.
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Since then, Fritz has had time to rest and recover. Back on the court, he not only feels better physically, but he also pointed out a specific shot from his victory against Marcos Giron that stood out to him.
Taylor Fritz picks shot he hasn’t hit this well in years after Dallas win
Photo by Steve Christo – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Fritz endured a tough fight against his fellow American, beating Giron 6-4 5-7 7-6(1) in what was his first match since the Australian Open.
During the match, Fritz served 21 aces but managed only two breaks of serve in the entire bout.
Although he didn’t break once in the final set, Fritz said afterward that he felt it was one of his best comeback sets in years. He made the comment during his on-field interview after the victory against Giron.
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“I know it sounds crazy because I didn’t break serve, but I think this whole third set is the best set of tennis I’ve returned,” Fritz said. “From a return of serve point of view, it’s the best set I’ve played in years, I think.”
Even though he missed all four break chances in the deciding match, Fritz still managed to claw his way back by taking control of the tiebreak to seal the victory.
Taylor Fritz vs. Brandon Nakashima Head to Head
After beating Giron, Fritz will now face another fellow American in his second round match at the Dallas Open.
It will be against Brandon Nakashima, who could pose a real threat to Fritz in his next match at the ATP 500 tournament.
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Although Fritz leads the head-to-head against Nakashima 2-1, it is actually Nakashima who entered more recently after beating Fritz at last year’s Cincinnati Masters 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (4).
Nakashima reached another double-digit ace total in his first-round victory over Mattia Bellucci and if that trend continues, it could thwart Fritz’s efforts to break him in three sets.
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