Fantastic Fritz Ousts Sock In Houston

#NextGenATP American Taylor Fritz had never made an ATP World Tour semi-final on clay before this week. In fact, he had only played three clay-court matches combined on the ATP World Tour and the ATP Challenger Tour prior to his Houston debut. But judging by his play Friday, you wouldn’t know it.

The 20-year-old battled back from a 4-2 deficit in the deciding set to oust 2015 winner Jack Sock 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship and move into the semi-finals.

“I felt like it could really go either way. I just had to get back in it,” Fritz said. “I just stayed with it and was able to come up [good] on the points that mattered.”

The victory snaps a six-match ATP World Tour quarter-final losing streak for the American, who is now 7-1 in tour-level three-set matches this year. The World No. 72, who saved two match points in the first round against another compatriot, Tim Smyczek, avenged two previous five-set losses against the third-seeded Sock, triumphing in their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting on clay.

Fritz is now 8-3 in tour-level matches this season and 22-6 at all levels, as he continues pursuing his maiden ATP World Tour title, after breaking through as an 18-year-old to reach the Memphis final two years ago. 

“In Memphis I think I was just playing so well for that stretch. I was just playing so far above the level I actually was at. I was playing out of my mind,” Fritz said. “Now I feel like I’m playing very within myself and playing to a level I know I can always be playing at… I’m a lot more ready. I’m a lot better of a player than I was.”

Fritz will next play one of two former American champions at this event — top-seeded John Isner (2013) or No. 6 seed Steve Johnson (2017). Fritz has lost both of his FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against Isner, while defeating Johnson en route to his maiden ATP World Tour final at 2016 Memphis. The California native is the only player remaining who has gone the distance in each of his matches in Houston this week at the River Oaks Country Club.

Did You Know?
Fritz has now won both of his Top 20 matches this season, also beating Sam Querrey at the Delray Beach Open.