TAYLOR FRITZ, 18, REACHES SEMIFINAL
Teen’s blistering comeback creates buzz.
Fritz-mania anyone? Suddenly, the Memphis Open, the ATP World Tour event celebrating its 40th year at The Racquet Club, has a fresh storyline. Taylor Fritz, a promising 18-year-old from Rancho Santa Fe, California, is creating a buzz this week with his blistering forehands and gutty comebacks, each more impressive than the one that preceded it.
In Friday’s quarterf inals, t he 6 -foot- 4 -inch Fritz, playing with maturity and composure beyond his years, blasted 13 aces and overcame a late-match break of his serve for a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5) victory over veteran Benjamin Becker from Germany.
Playing in only his third ATP Tour-level event, Fritz became the youngest American to reach a tour semifinal in 27 years, the last being Michael Chang at the 1989 Wembley tournament in England. Fritz will play Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania — a straight-set winner over No. 3 seed Donald Young on Friday — in today’s 4 p.m. semifinal.
When a Becker backhand sailed long to end the 2-hour, 20-minute match, the crowd at the Stadium Court, which had been gradually embracing Fritz’s story, and game, erupted.
“It’s just an amazing feeling,” Fritz said. “To come back and win after he was serving for the match, to come back in that way, and tough it out ... I’ll never forget that.”
Also reaching the semifinals were top seed and three-time defending champion Kei Nishikori and No. 4 seed and 2010 champion Sam Querrey. Nishikori, the world’s seventhranked player, and Querrey, ranked 58th, will meet in tonight’s 7:30 semifinal, a rematch of last year’s semifinal, won in three sets by Nishikori.
Nishikori beat Mikhail Kukushkin 6-2, 6-4, and Querrey won 6-3, 6-4 over qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka. Nishikori’s victory was aided by seven aces and some four-of-four break points he saved in a tight second set.
“Everything was working well with my serve,” Nishikori said. “It was tough to finish, but it was great to finish in two sets.”
In Fritz’s win, Becker, 34, appeared to be in position to end the teenager’s run, but Fritz wouldn’t allow it. After Becker broke to take a 6-5 lead in the final set, he served for the match.
Fritz, however, took advantage of a flurry of unforced errors by Becker to break back and force a tiebreaker, which he won when Becker committed two final unforced errors, the last a backhand that sailed a few inches beyond the baseline.
Fritz, whose mother, Kathy, is a former top 10 player on the women’s tour, said his strategy in the final set — when Becker was serving for the match at 6-5 — was to remain calm.
“I told myself the (tennis) balls are really worn out at that point,” Fritz said. “When the balls are worn out, it’s impossible to put (shots) away on these courts. It’s so tough, unless you hit it within an inch of the line.
“I just told myself ‘I’m going to make him play, I’m not going to give him anything. I’m going to make him beat me under pressure.’ ”
Fritz, who finished last season as the world’s topranked junior, has experience winning. He captured his third title on the ATP Challenger circuit — one level below the World Tour — last month in Australia after winning two Challenger events last fall in his first few months as a pro.
“I’ve shown myself that in the really tight situations I perform my best,” Fritz said. “That’s what I had over people at the Challenger level. I’m learning I can also do it here at this level.”
Fritz reached Friday’s quarterfinal by upsetting No. 2 seed and frequent practice partner Steve Johnson in straight sets Thursday. Fritz’s doubles partner, 23-year-old American Ryan Harrison, said Fritz’s success this week has been impressive.
“His composure in the big moments,” Harrison said. “You see a lot of guys who have a good skill set coming out, but it takes some of them a little while to be comfortable under pressure. Taylor has played a lot of matches this year where he’s been under the gun, and he’s come through in big moments. He has a lot of confidence in himself.”
Fritz said the biggest obstacle he had to overcome entering Friday’s match was difficulty sleeping after the win over Johnson. He said it wasn’t until early Friday morning — between 2 and 3 a.m. — that he was able to unwind.
“Someone actually called security on me,” Fritz said. “I was filling up the ice machine at 1:30 in the morning.”