Taylor Fritz wins maiden title at Eastbourne, signaling a bright future for American men’s tennis
Taylor Fritz will reach a career high ranking after securing his maiden title at the grass warm-up event right before Wimbledon, the Nature Valley International at Eastbourne, in the tournament’s only all-American men’s final.
Taylor Fritz just put himself on the radar for the grass grand slam Wimbledon. He won his first ATP Tour title in an all USA men’s final over former world No. 11 Sam Querry, 6-3, 6-4, in approximately an hour.
21-year-old Fritz is the only American to win at Eastbourne since former world No. 1 and U.S. Open winner Andy Roddick won the tournament back in 2012. American Steve Johnson also won the event, but when it was housed at Nottingham (2016).
“I really hope that I can continue on and progress the way Andy did and follow in his footsteps,” Fritz said afterwards.
Sam Querry is currently ranked world No. 79, after dealing with an abdominal injury that stalled his momentum after a hugely successful 2017 in which he defeated Andy Murray at Wimbledon and booked his first semifinal spot at a grand slam. Both Querry and Fritz will rise in ATP rankings when they are released on Monday.
Taylor Fritz will overtake Frances Tiafoe as the U.S. ranked No. 2. Both aged 21, Fritz– currently ranked No. 42– will surely crack the Top 40 and overtake Tiafoe’s No. 39 spot. Isner will remain the American No. 1, currently ranked world No. 12. These are positive signs for American men’s tennis with John Isner and now Sam Querry making ATP finals. Isner lost to Roger Federer at the Miami Masters 1000 earlier this year.
“Incredibly tough. I had to play my absolute best today to win,” Fritz said after the final. “This is Sam’s first tournament back in a long time, so a big congratulations to him for going all the way to the final after being injured and being out. He’s going to be extremely dangerous at Wimbledon, as he always is.”
Both Isner and Querry can be threats at Wimbledon, which starts on Monday. The world No. 12 famously took last year’s finalist Kevin Anderson to a 26-24 final set in their semifinal clash last year, leaving Anderson an exhausted mess when he had to face Novak Djokovic in the final. Isner– with his booming serve– clocked in both the longest and second longest matches at Wimbledon: his bout with Nicolas Mahut famously lasted three days in 2010, culminating in a ridiculous final set of 70-68 that inspired the hilarious HBO mockumentary, 7 Days in Hell.
Eastbourne is an excellent prep for Wimbledon, and with Taylor Fritz having earned the title, there are now three American men who can wreak havoc at the grass slam.
The Rancho Sante Fe native has been talked about as a nextgen sensation since making his first ATP tourney final at the Memphis Open in 2016 when he was just 18, given a wild card, and ranked only 145.
“It’s so amazing. I almost can’t even believe it. I’m still trying to take it in,” Fritz said. “I’ve wanted to win a Tour title ever since I made the final of one when I was 18. It feels like I’ve just been waiting so long. I’m so happy.”
Combined with Fritz’s Challenger Tour win at Newport Beach earlier this year, the American and Italian Matteo Berrettini are the only ATP players this year to win both an ATP and Challenger Title. Both are young talents rising up in the ranks, with Berrettini breaking into the Top 20. Fritz is just 21 and Berrettini is 23. They both prove that the younger generation is making inroads in men’s tennis
Young American women have caused a stir this year in tennis. Now it’s the men’s turn. Taylor Fritz, John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Frances Tiafoe represent an excellent lineup of Wimbledon claimants.
The Wimbledon draw and seeds have been announced. The main draw matches begin Monday, July 1. Stay tuned here for all the tennis and Wimbledon news.