Fritz Captures DC Open Title
American Taylor Fritz captured the Mubadala DC Open on Monday, defeating Spaniard Rafael Jodar 7-6(2), 6-4 to capture the 11th ATP Tour title of his career.
“Thank you guys for everything,” said Fritz. “I have given this speech a lot recently but not as a winner, so it is nice to actually mean a little bit more this time. Thank you so much for everything you do, staying on top of me all the time. I know it is not easy.”
In a fitting end to a rain-filled week, the final was moved to Monday from Sunday. The opening set saw both players effective on serve which resulted in a tiebreaker. A couple of errors in that tiebreak from Jodar helped Fritz take the first set.
Seizing on that momentum, Fritz raced out to a 3-0 advantage in the second set. He would not relinquish his advantage, and a few games later, the top-ranked American finished off the match and captured the title in straight sets.
“It was a really tough final and you are having an amazing season, and at 19, on your first season on Tour, what you and your dad are doing is just incredible,” Fritz said to his opponent in the trophy ceremony. “You are so young and are only going to get so much better.”
Fritz moves up to No. 8 in the world rankings, while Jodar breaks into the Top 20 for the first time in his young career, checking in at No. 15 in the world.
