Taylor Fritz won the first Masters 1000 title in his career and caused Rafael Nadal’s first defeat in the 2022 season in the final of the BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells.
In the biggest match of his career to date, the hosts successfully won 6-3, 7-6 over Spaniard Nadal at the BNP Paribas Open.
The 24-year-old went on the offensive to prevent the 35-year-old Nadal from winning his 37th career Masters 1000 title and breaking the 20-game winning streak he has been building since the start of this season.
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However, the home tennis player will hardly enter the court for the decisive victory of his career. After injuring his ankle late in the semi-final against Andrey Rublev, he aggravated the injury while warming up before the final.
“I can’t even begin to describe how ridiculous it is that I can play the way I played this time. I’ve never felt pain like that in my life before a game,” said Taylor Fritz.
“We did a lot going into the game and I went through the emotional ups and downs before the game, from thinking there was no way for me to play in that condition, then working on the ankle, doing a lot of things to deal with it. I entered the pitch and it didn’t really affect me.”
The 20th seed then did a second warm-up, but after the session, his team advised him not to play the match. However, he did not give up even though he opened the first set with 4-0 before finally claiming the set.
Nadal began to show his best ability in the second set and appeared solid from the baseline area. But from 4-4, the home tennis player began to show his strength.
The 2022 Australian Open champions must secure match point opportunities at 4-5 before forcing a high-quality tiebreak. He also stepped up his attack in key moments, but Fritz found a more powerful weapon and in the end finished the match with an impressive combination of serve and forehand.
In the final of the Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in his career, the 24-year-old became the first American male to win the BNP Paribas Open since Andre Agassi in 2001 and the youngest ever champion at Indian Wells since Novak Djokovic in 2011.
“Winning this tournament, especially at Indian Wells, it’s one of my childhood dreams that I never thought could come true. I kept saying, no, no, this is absolutely unreal,” Fritz said.
The win matched the hosts’ best in terms of the rankings of the players he beat, after he beat world number 4 Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells in 2021. However, it was his first win in nine meetings against the Big Three and is now head to head between the two sides. himself and Nadal to a 1-1 draw.
“For most of my career, I’ve lost against the best players in the world. I always felt that they were invincible. So, doing it on one of the biggest stages, there was no way around it. To win a prestigious title, you have to beat the best players. He’s unbeaten this season,” added Taylor Fritz.
“I hope he is fine. There must be something going on. I can’t imagine how his body will be after winning 20 games.”
Fritz is predicted to rise to 13th in the world after winning the BNP Paribas Open and become the US number 1, replacing Reilly Opelka.
Meanwhile, Nadal, who will then compete in Monte Carlo, will rise to number 3 in the world.
