Taylor Fritz says what was ‘pretty bad’ about his first round US Open match despite winning

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Taylor Fritz was not completely satisfied with his opening round win at the US Open.

The American number one began his campaign with a straight sets victory over Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli.

The 26-year-old is aiming for a strong run in New York after entering the tournament with successive losses in Canada and Cincinnati.

It was a relatively comfortable outing for Taylor Fritz inside Louis Armstrong Stadium and he booked his spot in the next round of his home Grand Slam, but he demanded more from his performance.

How does Taylor Fritz sum up his performance at the US Open?

Fritz won his opening US Open match in straight sets but the first set was highly competitive against Carabelli.

The 12th seed served for the set at 5-3, but Carabelli fought back and when he was up 40-0 on his own serve at 6-5, he lost five points in a row to lose the set.

From there it was one-way traffic as Fritz lost just three games over the course of the next two sets to win 7-5, 6-1, 6-2. Given the inconsistent level of play in the first set, Fritz was not entirely happy with his performance.

“It was okay. I feel like it’s not out of the ordinary for the first round of the US Open to come out a little nervy,” Fritz told reports afterwards.

“I didn’t play great first set, more so the first game I served and then when I served for the set it was pretty bad but I kind of loosened up after the first set and felt like I played pretty solidly the next few sets.”

Who does Taylor Fritz play next?

After defeating Carabelli, Fritz has a tough second test in the second round, where he will take on Matteo Berrettini.

The big serving Italian is unseeded at the US Open and therefore can run into the top players early in the competition.

He defeated Spain’s Albert Ramos-Viñolas to reach the second round and is relishing the chance to try and defeat Fritz for the first time.

“You ask me if I feel ready? I feel ready,” Berrettini said about playing against Fritz. “Every time we played it was tough match. And of course, he loves to play here, his tournament in a way—here and Indian Wells. Hell of [a lot of] support, really strong player.

“It’s going to be a tough match, but that’s why I’m training. Why I’m working really hard this season to come back at this level.”