It’s no secret that the American men have struggled at majors for much of this century — it’s been 20 years since one hoisted a Grand Slam singles trophy. And while that lengthy drought is less than ideal, there have been a number of bright spots lately.
Perhaps no one has consistently provided sources of optimism for the country over the past few years more than Taylor Fritz. The 25-year-old captured the sixth title of his career on Sunday with a 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4 victory over Aleksandar Vukic in the Atlanta Open final. It marked the second title of the season for Fritz, and he’s now won his last five finals on tour — a streak that started with his surprising victory over Rafael Nadal for the 2022 Indian Wells trophy.
On Sunday, after not dropping a set en route to the final, Fritz struggled to close out the match after a strong start — losing two championship points on return at 6-5 in the second set. But ultimately, he found a way in the decider.
Title #6 for @Taylor_Fritz97 🤩@ATLOpenTennis | #AtlantaOpen pic.twitter.com/B7xXsw0dbu
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 30, 2023
“I’ve played this tournament five times before and [reached] the semis [in 2021] and final [in 2019],” Fritz said after. “I feel like I’ve always been close so it’s nice, I don’t think I could’ve handled another loss in the final. It feels really good to get the job done.”
Currently the top-ranked American man at No. 9, he now enters this week’s Citi Open as the No. 1 seed and will have yet another chance with a supportive home crowd to prove he’s a legitimate threat for the upcoming US Open.
Fritz wasn’t the only winner, on home soil or elsewhere, this week. Here’s what else you might have missed:
More history for Swiatek
At just 22 years old, Iga Swiatek has made this whole tennis thing look easy since bursting onto the scene. As of this week, she has held the world No. 1 ranking for 70 consecutive weeks, making her just the third woman ever to hold the spot for that long in her first stint in the position and just the eighth woman in history to do so.
While Swiatek has already achieved so much in her career, there was one more feat she was able to cross off her list on Sunday, when she won the title at her hometown tournament in Warsaw. With her dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory over Laura Siegemund in just 68 minutes, Swiatek became the first Polish woman to win a WTA title in Poland in the Open Era.
It was the 15th career title for Swiatek and she said that winning at home –…
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