Aus Open: Taylor Fritz Upsets Tsitsipas, Faces Djokovic in Quarterfinal

In a surprising turn of events at the Australian Open, American player Taylor Fritz, ranked 12th, ousted Stefanos Tsitsipas, the previous year’s finalist, from the competition on Sunday. This victory paves the way for Fritz to face the reigning champion, Novak Djokovic, in the quarter-finals.

The initial sets of the match were closely contested, but Fritz raised his game to triumph over the Greek player, ranked seventh, with scores of 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, in just over three hours. Fritz attributed his success to his confidence in his shots and his consistent serving.

Despite trailing Djokovic 8-0 in their previous encounters, Fritz expressed optimism about his improved performance and looked forward to their upcoming clash. He acknowledged the necessity of playing his best against a competitor like Djokovic.

The match began with a tight first set where both players held their serves, leading to a tie-break. Fritz gained an early advantage in the tie-break and maintained it to win the set. Tsitsipas made a comeback in the second set, breaking Fritz’s serve in the 11th game and eventually winning the set 7-5.

However, Fritz turned the tables in the third and fourth sets, breaking Tsitsipas’ serve twice in each and securing the last four games to clinch the match.

In the women’s competition, defending champion Sabalenka showcased her dominance by defeating unseeded American Amanda Anisimova on Margaret Court Arena with a straight-set win of 6-3, 6-2.

Coco Gauff, the fourth seed and US Open champion, continued her impressive run, defeating Poland’s unseeded Magdalena Frech 6-1, 6-2 in just 63 minutes on Rod Laver Arena, with tennis legend Rod Laver himself in attendance. Gauff, 19, expressed her gratitude for playing in front of Laver and celebrated reaching her first quarter-final in Australia, overcoming previous limitations.

Gauff’s next opponent is Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who won against Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva 6-2, 6-1. With seven top-10 seeds, including world number one Iga Swiatek, eliminated in the first week, Gauff and Sabalenka have an excellent opportunity to claim their second major title.

Both players are in the same half of the draw, potentially setting up a semi-final showdown. Sabalenka, having lost only 11 games in four matches, is a strong contender for another Grand Slam title following her breakthrough victory last year. If she wins, she will be the first woman since Victoria Azarenka in 2013 to retain the title.

Sabalenka expressed her enjoyment of the tournament atmosphere and her desire to continue as far as possible. Her next match is against either unseeded Russian 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva or ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova. Should Andreeva advance, she would be the youngest to reach the Melbourne Park quarter-finals since Martina Hingis in 1997.