Taylor Fritz breaks American record after his Davis Cup win over Alex de Minaur

Posted by Admin November 22, 2024 Tennis

Taylor Fritz could only stand and watch as Team USA failed to progress to the semi-finals of the Davis Cup.

The American number one did his job as he clinically dispatched Alex de Minaur for the second time within a week.

Taylor Fritz kept Team USA’s Davis Cup semi-final hopes following Ben Shelton’s surprising loss to Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening match.

The new world number four delivered a commanding 6-3, 6-4 victory over De Minaur in just 71 minutes.

While ultimately futile as USA lost the deciding doubles tie, Fritz still managed to break a handful of records with his win.

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for ITF

Taylor Fritz breaks American record with Davis Cup win

The American achieved two significant milestones last week, marking a breakthrough moment for American tennis.

He became the first American man to reach the final of the ATP Finals since James Blake in 2006, while also climbing to a career-high world ranking of number four – the first American male player in the top four since Andy Roddick 17 years ago.

This week, Fritz added two more milestones to his resume with his win over Alex de Minaur marking his 200th hard-court win of his career.

Fritz is now one of just four players born in 1997 or later to reach this milestone, joining Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Additionally, he becomes the first American man born in the 1990s to hit 200 hard-court wins.

A Davis Cup contest decided by two gambles

The Davis Cup quarterfinal clash between the USA and Australia hinged on two high-stakes decisions, with one gamble paying off and the other falling short.

Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt made the bold choice to field Kokkinakis against the higher-ranked Shelton instead of Alexei Popyrin, and it proved to be a masterstroke. Kokkinakis secured a thrilling victory to give Australia an early lead.

After Fritz leveled the tie, attention turned to the doubles decider. Initially, it seemed the showdown would feature proven pairs: the USA’s Olympic runners-up Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek against Australia’s Matt Ebden and Jordan Thompson.

However, in a surprising move, USA captain Bob Bryan swapped out Ram and Krajicek for Tommy Paul and Shelton.

The gamble backfired, as Shelton and Paul fell 6-4, 6-4, handing Australia the win.

While Hewitt’s risk delivered for the Aussies, Bryan’s unexpected lineup change left the Americans ruing what might have been.