Top Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe both advanced to the second round of the 2023 U.S. Open on Monday as each won their respective first-round matches in New York City on Monday.
Tiafoe defeated American wild card Learner Tien, the two-time Kalamazoo champion, 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 to move through. The 10th seeded Tiafoe set up 25 break point chances throughout the match and blasted 37 winners to win in just over two hours.
“I really love this court, I really enjoy playing here. It hasn’t been the best summer for me, but I love playing on this court,” said Tiafoe standing on the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I just want to come and do really well. The last time I played here was one of the toughest losses of my life. To come back out here and play as well as I did and take care of business is nice.”
As Tiafoe aims to back up his semifinal showing in Queens last year, Tiafoe will take on Austria’s Sebastian Ofner in the second round. Ofner defeated Nuno Borges 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4.
Fritz, seeded ninth, defeated fellow American Steve Johnson 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in his opener on Monday. Fritz did not face a single break point throughout the match and hit 34 winners to just 10 unforced errors.
“There is always going to be a lot of pressure, just as an American playing the U.S. Open. There is no other way to put it. Like obviously all the Grand Slams are equal in points, but for an American, the U.S. Open is always going to be the most important one,” said Fritz. “There is definitely a lot of pressure. I don’t think there is any more pressure on me than there is on, lets’ say, Frances. I don’t think it’s just me being the No. 1 American. I think just being top Americans and having high expectations for this week is something that we just have to kind of live and deal with.”
Taylor Fritz defeated fellow American Steve Johnson on Monday (Photo Credit: Brad Penner/USTA)
Up next for Fritz is Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas, who posted a 1-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 win over Miomir Kecmanovic.
Chris Eubanks, Ben Shelton, Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul were other American male winners on Monday. Other winners on the men’s side included Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, and Dominic Thiem,
Fourth-seed Holger Rune saw his 2023 summer struggles continue as he was upset in four sets by Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena. Second-seed Novak Djokovic avoided the upset as he concluded the play on Day One with a 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Alexandre Muller.
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