Fritz Saves 1 MP To Overcome #NextGenATP Rival Opelka
08 March 2018 09:46
In an all-American meeting of #NextGenATP stars, Taylor Fritz saved one match point before overcoming his great friend Reilly Opelka 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 to reach the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Thursday.
Fritz took two hours and 19 minutes to dispatch Opelka, who was best man at his wedding two years ago, withstanding 19 aces to advance. The 20-year-old recovered from match point down at 5/6 in the second-set tie-break, as Opelka fired wide on his forehand, to reach the Round of 64 for the second year in a row. Fritz has begun 2018 in fine form with 14 wins from 17 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour, including a title run in Newport Beach.
Fritz will face another #NextGenATP contender for a place in the last 32, as 27th seed Andrey Rublev received a bye into the second round. The encounter will be Fritz and Rublev’s first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting.
Watch Full Match Replays
Borna Coric cruised into the second round with an emphatic 6-0, 6-2 victory over Donald Young. The Croatian took just 58 minutes to advance, converting all five of the break point opportunities he manufactured to book a meeting with 19th seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Horacio Zeballos overcame the disappointment of failing to convert a match point at 5-3 in the final set, to beat Japan’s Yuichi Sugita 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(4). France’s Jeremy Chardy also held his nerve in a crucial tie-break to defeat countryman Julien Benneteau 6-4, 7-6(9).
Did You Know?
The win marks Fritz's third triumph in Indian Wells. He reached the third round last year, beating then-No. 7 Marin Cilic in the second roundreadfullarticle
