By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday May 1, 2024
Taylor Fritz is the last American man standing at Madrid – and the first American man to reach the semifinals in the Spanish capital since 2005 – thanks to his 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Francisco Cerundolo to close out Wednesday’s night session at the Caja Magical.
Fritz will face Andrey Rublev in the semifinals on Friday.
It was a banner day for Fritz in more ways than one – he also earned his 250th win on tour to become just the sixth player born in 1995 or earlier to achieve the feat.
250 wins or more, born 1995 or earlier (as of May 1, 2024)
Zverev, born 1997, 416
Medvedev, born 1996, 355
Tsitsipas, born 1998, 321
Rublev, born 1997, 311
Khachanov, born 1996, 261
Fritz, born 1997, 250
“I remember the first one,” Fritz said, with a smile.
When asked how many he thought he could one day achieve, Fritz said: “It just depends on if I stay healthy now. I’ve been around for a really long time – if I stay healthy I could end my career as one of those guys that is pretty up there.”
Fritz had to work hard to take out the 21st-seeded Argentinian. He made 79 percent of his first serves and won 83 percent of those points, saving one of the two break points he faced.
He broke Cerundolo three times from six opportunities to improve to 19-7 on the season.
“It was really tough from the ground to be honest,” Fritz said. “I just had to try to hang in the match with my serve and fight through some points even though I didn’t feel super comfortable playing the points, and take my chances when I got them.”
Fritz, into his fourth semifinal at the Masters 1000 level, owns a 5-3 lifetime record against Rublev, but lost their only meeting on clay, last year in the Monte-Carlo semifinals.
