Taylor Fritz Overcomes Rain And Errors To Win At ATP Toronto Masters

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2 days ago

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Taylor Fritz overcame rain delays and Roberto Carballes Baena at the ATP Toronto Masters, winning 7-5, 7-6. Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe also won.
Second-seeded Taylor Fritz faced three rain delays and a tenacious Spanish opponent on Wednesday, ultimately securing a narrow 7-5, 7-6 (7/1) victory over Roberto Carballes Baena at the ATP Toronto Masters.
The second-round match was interrupted repeatedly by light rain, with the final 18-minute delay occurring just as the second-set tiebreaker was about to begin.
Fritz, who has clinched titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne this season, quickly seized victory before heavier rains were anticipated.
The American expressed dissatisfaction with a win marked by 45 unforced errors and admitted that he hasn't yet hit his stride in Canada.
'Even in practice I'm having a hard time putting the ball into the court," he said. 'But I'm happy to get through this one.
'Everything is not feeling great, it's tough to control the ball.
'Since I've been here it's been absolutely brutal. But I have another match to figure it out and hopefully I can play myself into the tournament."
Shelton had lost two prior meetings with 37-year-old qualifier Mannarino but mentioned he was able to vary his serve to secure the win this time.
'This win was huge for me. He's a shotmaker, he can take the racquet out of your hands," Shelton said. 'I've played well against him in the past and come up short, he can make things really difficult."
American Frances Tiafoe edged out a win after more than two and a quarter hours against Japan's Yosuke Watanuki, praising his opponent's fighting spirit following a 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) victory.
'He can hit a winner on any shot," Tiafoe said. 'I needed some luck in those last two sets to win."
Tiafoe managed just 19 winners compared to the 45 of his 158th-ranked opponent, but now faces Australian Alexsandar Vukic, who defeated Britain's Cam Norrie 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3.
Andrey Rublev, runner-up in Canada a year ago to Alexei Popyrin, celebrated his 250th career win on hardcourt, beating France's Hugo Gaston 6-2, 6-3.
The sixth seed required four match points to advance after 86 minutes and will next play Italian Lorenzo Sonego, a 6-1, 6-4 victor over China's Bu Yunchaokete.
Wimbledon quarter-finalist Flavio Cobolli of Italy delivered four aces in the final game of a rain-interrupted match to secure a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over Canadian Alexis Galarneau.
However, Canadian Gabriel Diallo emerged victorious against his Italian opponent, defeating Matteo Gigante 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) to next face Fritz.
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime faced another early setback, losing his opening match in his home Masters for the third consecutive year to Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 6-4.
Former top 10 player Stefanos Tsitsipas, now ranked 30th in the world, continued his downward trajectory with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 loss to Australian Christopher O'Connell.
Alex de Minaur, who triumphed in Washington on Sunday, defeated Francisco Comesana 6-4, 6-2.
'It was not pretty by any means," Australia's de Minaur said. 'The wind and rain made it quite tough. I'm happy I was engaged and focused from the first point to the last.
'Backing up a good week is the toughest ask in tennis. You don't have a lot of time to enjoy the moment after a week of emotional highs.
'You have to find a way to re-set and do it all over again."
With AFP Inputs
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