Taylor Fritz of United States in action against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the fourth round of the men’s singles at the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park. Photo: Reuters/File
LONDON:
Top-seeded Taylor Fritz fought off a stiff test from U.S. countryman Marcos Giron to earn a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (1) win in the first round of the Nexo Dallas Open on Tuesday.
Fritz posted a 21-9 edge in aces and won 81% of his first-serve points. However, he managed to break Giron’s serve in just two of his 10 opportunities.
Second-seeded Ben Shelton of the United States bested Canada’s Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 6-4, but two other seeded players fell. Great Britain’s Jack Pinnington Jones trounced fourth-seeded Flavio Cobolli of Italy 6-2, 6-2, and Croatia’s Marin Cilic edged sixth-seeded Learner Tien of the U.S. 7-5, 7-6 (4).
It was the 600th career ATP Tour win for Cilic, 37, who joined Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (1,168) as the only active players to reach that milestone. He also passed Goran Ivanisevic’s total of 599 wins to top the all-time list among Croatians.
Other winners were Aleksandar Kovacevic and Alex Michelsen of the United States and Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia.
In the last match of the night, defending champion Denis Shapovalov of Canada, the seventh seed, blitzed Spanish qualifier Rafael Jodar 6-1, 6-2.
ABN Amro Open
Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic, a lucky loser from qualifying, took advantage of his late entry into the event at Rotterdam, Netherlands, and defeated Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) in the first round.
Medjedovic, who entered the draw when Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan withdrew, trailed 5-2 in the first set and fought off a set point in the next game before capturing the tiebreaker. The players exchanged service breaks in the 11th and 12th games of the second set, and Medjedovic again came through in a tiebreaker.
Top-seeded Alex de Minaur of Australia downed France’s Arthur Fils 7-6 (3), 6-2, and the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor beat France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-4. France’s Quentin Halys and Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff also advanced.
IEB+ Argentina Open
Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo pulled off a first-round upset in his home land, defeating fifth-seeded Daniel Altmaier of Germany 6-2, 6-2 in Buenos Aires.
Altmaier struggled with his serve, putting just 69% of his first serves in play and winning only 35% of his second serves. He also committed 30 unforced errors to Cerundolo’s nine.
Sixth-seeded Camilo Ugo Carabelli won an all-Argentine matchup against Francisco Comesana 6-4, 7-6 (3), and eighth-seeded Matteo Berrettini of Italy ousted Argentina’s Federico Coria 7-5, 7-5. Also moving on were the Czech Republic’s Tomas Barrios Vera, Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga and Peru’s Ignacio Buse.
Dedicated Cilic
Former U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic said that joining an elite club of players with at least 600 match wins on the ATP Tour was proof of his dedication to the sport after battling through several injury-ravaged seasons.
The 37-year-old, who has had two knee surgeries since 2023, downed American Learner Tien 7-5 7-6(4) at the Dallas Open on Tuesday to reach the milestone, putting him second behind Novak Djokovic (1,168 wins) among active players.
“It’s been so difficult these last couple of years, I was battling through many things,” said Cilic, who also went past Croatian compatriot Goran Ivanisevic’s career tally of 599 tour-level victories.
“Just to get to this level, playing this well against guys like Learner, who’s an incredible player and can have a fantastic career, is just a joy.
“To get this milestone speaks volumes about my dedication to tennis, living in this sport for so many years. It’s given me so much joy and I love it. It’s fun to be out here still competing and I can’t be happier.”
Cilic, who claimed his only Grand Slam trophy at Flushing Meadows in 2014, tore the lateral meniscus on his right knee in 2023 and underwent surgery. That was followed by another in 2024 following difficulties in his recovery.
The former world number three bounced back on the biggest stage by reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon last year and the third round of the Australian Open last month.
Cilic will face another American in Dallas with either Trevor Svajda or Ethan Quinn up next.
