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Fritz survives scare in Stuttgart opener
11 Jun
Summary
- Fritz narrowly won his opening match in Stuttgart against Martin Landaluce.
- The American faced match points but staged a comeback in the second set.
- This victory marks Fritz's 350th career tour-level win.
Taylor Fritz began his Stuttgart Open title defense with a hard-fought victory over 20-year-old Martin Landaluce, winning 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(3). The second seed found himself in a precarious position, trailing in the second set and facing two points from defeat. However, Fritz mounted a comeback, winning three consecutive games to level the match.
In the decisive third-set tie-break, crucial serves and a fortunate missed smash from Landaluce at 3/5 ultimately sealed the win for Fritz. This match marked Fritz's 350th career tour-level win and his first grass-court match of the year as he aims for his sixth grass-court title.
Earlier in the day, 2023 Stuttgart champion Frances Tiafoe advanced to his 50th tour-level quarter-final by defeating Rinky Hijikata. Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro also reached his maiden tour-level quarter-final by defeating Nick Kyrgios in three sets, a win that will see him enter the Top 100 for the first time.
