Taylor Fritz battled injury and Marcos Giron to win his first match of the Dallas Open.
Fritz is the top seed at the ATP 500 tournament, his first event since suffering an Australian Open quarterfinal exit.
He lost to Lorenzo Musetti in Melbourne, but has returned to winning ways with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(7-1) victory over Giron.
In the round of 32 clash between the two Americans at the Dallas Open, the favorite triumphed after two hours and 26 minutes.
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Taylor Fritz confirms he ‘tweaked’ his knee in his Dallas opener
Fritz delivered a positive injury update after his Australian Open exit, but he required a medical timeout early in his meeting with Giron, which he has now explained.
“It had nothing to do with the tendinitis, the knee issue that I have been dealing with for a while now,” he told Tennis Channel.
“It was weird. I don’t know if I did it on the return or running to the first ball, but it was the first point of his service game in that changeover and I felt like I tweaked my knee. I was getting a sharp pain.
“It got a little better the next game that I served and I just called Clay over to make sure it was good, and after he worked on it, honestly no problems. It was just a weird little tweak.”
Has Taylor Fritz made a mistake by playing the Dallas Open?
Fritz has been open about his knee issue, which fortunately wasn’t the reason for his medical intervention this time around.
But even with that somewhat positive scenario, his physical struggles may suggest that playing in Dallas was a mistake.
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He is clearly eager to pick up some momentum after his disappointing run at the Australian Open, and the Dallas Open certainly represents a fantastic chance to do exactly that.
Fritz is the top seed, and is playing on home soil with home support, although the field is dominated by Americans.
But perhaps rest and recovery was the more sensible option at this key stage of the season and with his injury issues of late.
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Many of his fellow Americans on the WTA Tour have taken that decision following the Australian Open, with Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys withdrawing from Qatar.
But Fritz clearly knows his own body and its limitations, while he could certainly do with a title to massively boost his confidence.
Up next is compatriot Brandon Nakashima in the round of 16, with fellow Americans Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Sebastian Korda all safely into that stage of the tournament too.
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