Tennis News: Host tennis player Taylor Fritz advanced to the fourth round of the Miami Open for the third consecutive time with a straight-set victory.
The ninth seed defeated Canadian tennis player Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4 in the third round of the 2023 Miami Open.
When they last met, the home tennis player immediately stepped on the gas on the first ball and cornered 24th seed Shapovalov in rallies from the endcourt that involved hard hitting. He only committed eight unforced errors, while the Canadian tennis player committed 17 unforced errors. The home tennis player also didn’t face a single break point opportunity in the game which lasted 81 minutes.
“I couldn’t really find a formula for offense because he hits the ball so hard and he shoots his second serve so hard too,” admitted Fritz.
“The game was more about creating the ball and being stable. Because when he puts the ball in the field, I can’t attack him much.”
Thanks to the victory, the ninth seed now has a 4-5 head-to-head record against Shapovalov. The 25-year-old, currently ranked 9th in the world, will next face seventh seed Holger Rune in the promising fourth round of the Miami Open.
“In the next game against Holger, I will be surprised if I don’t have more opportunities to attack,” added Fritz. “It has nothing to do with him, because against Emilio Nava and Denis, in the two previous matches, I have never seen a player go after him so much and left me no option to attack. I hope that in the next match, I will have the chance to be aggressive.
Fritz is now 19-5 in 2024. He is aiming for his second title of the season after winning the title in Delray Beach as well as the second Masters title of his career after winning the title in Indian Wells last season.
In other action, Danish national tennis player, Rune didn’t face many obstacles in his Miami Open debut.
Rune picked up his second straight win by thrashing 31st seed Diego Schwartzman 6-4 6-2. He also converted all four break point chances he created to seal the win on 92 minutes.
Rune, who won his first career Masters title in Paris in November last season, is now 14-6 in 2024. He hopes to continue his streak in 2022 where he won the first three titles of his career and broke into the top 10 for the first time.
Tags: Tennis, Miami Open, Taylor Fritz, Denis Shapovalov, Holger Rune
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