Taylor Fritz admits what ‘it’s hard for everyone to believe’ about his run at the US Open so far this year

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Taylor Fritz will return to the quarterfinals of the US Open for the third consecutive year after defeating Tomas Machac in straight sets.

Fritz, the only American left in the men’s singles draw, beat the Czech star 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, to set up a last-eight clash with Novak Djokovic.

The 27-year-old is aiming to emulate last season’s campaign, which saw him reach the final of a Grand Slam for the first time before falling to Jannik Sinner.

He is now just two wins away from defending his points after the victory over Machac, which Fritz said marked his best performance in New York this year.

Taylor Fritz reacts to his fourth-round victory at the US Open

The US star said of his triumph: “I thought it was definitely the best match I played so far this tournament. I think that makes sense as well.

“It’s hard for everyone to believe, but I think the last two matches I played prior to this one were so windy.

“Armstrong felt incredibly windy front to back, so it has felt very hard to play when I have to hit the ball completely differently every two games after switching sides.

“I thought today was it was nice. I was able to actually get in a rhythm and feel like I could play the same way on both sides. I returned well and served really well.

“He made some mistakes at some good times for me, but there’s a really good mix between me being consistent and me pulling the trigger and being aggressive, so I’m really happy with it.”

Taylor Fritz’s record against Novak Djokovic ahead of their clash

Fritz has come up against Djokovic 10 times on the ATP Tour and has suffered defeat in each of those meetings.

The Serb has only ever dropped a total of three sets against him, having recorded eight straight-sets victories in their head-to-head.

At the Australian Open in 2021, Fritz came the closest to beating Djokovic when forcing the legend to a fifth and final set, but could not get over the line.

Their most recent bout came at the Shanghai Masters in 2024, which once again went the way of the 38-year-old.

Fritz will hope to finally snap his losing streak against Djokovic in his ongoing bid to capture a maiden Grand Slam title.