Top-seeded Fritz beats Korda and Hurts to reach Dallas semifinals – Tennis Now
Taylor Fritz can’t seem to take a break from injuries. The American was hampered by a knee injury entering the season but chose to play out the game rather than rest. Today in Dallas, the knee isn’t the issue; it’s the issue. He felt sharp pain in his right elbow as he screamed back at Sebastian Korda’s bat.
Ultimately, the pain didn’t stop Fritz from eking out a hard-fought victory over his countryman in a match that could have gone either way. Fritz won 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(5) to advance to the semifinals with Marin Cilic.
Fritz VS Cilic, head-to-head
| Year | Contest | surface | round | winner | Fraction |
| 2022 | Monte Carlo Masters | clay | R32 | Fritz | 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 |
| 2021 | saint petersburg | Difficulty (1) | final | Cilic | 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4 |
| 2017 | Indian Wells Masters | difficult | R64 | Fritz | 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 |
The 37-year-old Cilic easily defeated British qualifier Jack Pinnington Jones 6-1, 6-4 and reached the ATP semifinals for the 68th time.
Korda played a great game and created numerous counterattack opportunities, including four break points, but Fritz would not give in.
“It’s hard,” Fritz said. “He made a lot of really good counter-attacking plays and I found myself in these tight moments and pressure situations. I really didn’t feel like I did too much wrong. He made a lot of good points and for me, honestly, it was easier… I didn’t get frustrated and could live with the fact that it was 15-30 or 0-30 and I just had to lock in.”
Things didn’t look good for the top seed, ranked seventh in the world, after dropping the first set in the tie-break. He injured his elbow and required a medical timeout.
Eventually, the injury subsided, and Fritz said he was able to stop worrying as the pain subsided. He produced a clean performance in the second set and broke Korda’s love in the tenth game to force a decider.
In the deciding set, Fritz trailed 0-30 on serve at 2-2 and then faced a break point at 3-3 (30-40), but found a way out of the jam. In the tie-break, he bombed wildly, scoring the last 5 points, trailing 2-5, and won the fourth victory in five career encounters with Koda.
