Fritz takes down Tsitsipas at Australian Open, gets Djokovic next

Taylor Fritz, the last remaining American in the men’s draw, is through to the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday. Novak Djokovic is next for Fritz.

Ricky Dimon

January 21, 2024

Taylor Fritz will get another shot at Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

Fritz, who lost to Djokovic in five sets at Melbourne Park in 2021, booked a quarter-final spot alongside the world No 1 by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday afternoon. The American picked up his first-ever top-10 win at a Grand Slam after three hours and one minute.

After splitting two very competitive sets, Fritz took control. The world No 12 fired 24 winners compared to just four unforced errors throughout sets three and four. He made only one unforced error in the entire fourth set.

“Just really trusting my shots, I think,” Fritz said when asked what got him across the finish line. “I served well the entire match; that kept me in it. At the end I turned it up a little bit — started playing my best tennis to finish it…. It’s huge. I’ve made two (Grand Slam) quarter-finals before, but draws were a bit more open for me. It feels great to beat a top player to get into the last eight of another tournament.”

These two saved the best for last!@Taylor_Fritz97 breaks Stefanos Tsitsipas in a frantic, fantastic final game to take the match 7-6(3) 5-7 6-3 6-3.

It's the American's first win over a top 10 player at a Grand Slam!#AusOpen • @wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/UkTsattSsD
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2024

Djokovic next for Fritz in quarter-finals

Djokovic and Fritz will be facing each other for the ninth time in their careers on Tuesday. It’s a clean sweep — 8-0 — of the head-to-head series for Djokovic, who has defeated Fritz in straight sets on seven of the eight occasions.

Nonetheless, the underdog is confident.

“If I’m able to play like I did today then I’ll have a chance.”