Fritz Advances in the Canadian Open; Shelton and Rublev Also Triumph
In a day full of emotions at the National Bank Open tennis tournament, Taylor Fritz, second seed, achieved a resounding victory over Canadian Gabriel Diallo with scores of 6-4 and 6-2. The match, played on Friday night, secured Fritz a place in the next round.Fritz, currently number 4 in the world and with 10 ATP titles in his career, including victories in Eastbourne and Stuttgart this year, will face Jiri Lehecka, seeded number 19, in the next round. Lehecka secured his pass after defeating Arthur Fils with a score of 3-6, 6-3, and 6-4. In another notable match of the day, Ben Shelton, the fourth seed, overcame Brandon Nakashima in a closely contested match that went to three sets, with scores of 6-7 (8), 6-2, and 7-6 (5). Shelton will now face Flavio Cobolli, the number 13 seed. Also, Andrey Rublev, sixth seed, achieved a victory against Lorenzo Sonego with a score of 5-7, 6-4 and 6-3.“I thought the crowd was very nice to me, playing against the last player from the Canada tournament. I was expecting a little more hostile environment, but I guess everyone is very nice. I’ve dealt with worse things,” Fritz commented after his victory.
Taylor Fritz
Frances Tiafoe, seventh seed, also secured his place in the next phase after defeating Aleksandar Vukic with a score of 6-3, 4-6, and 6-3, and will face Alex De Minaur. It should be noted that Jannik Sinner, the 2023 champion, and Carlos Alcaraz did not participate in this tournament.“In the second and third sets, I was able to play more aggressively, making fewer mistakes. Let’s see what happens next, I’m super excited and motivated,” Rublev declared.
Andrey Rublev
