Taylor Fritz states his main goal for the rest of the year after his opening Shanghai Masters win

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Taylor Fritz ensured his spot in the Shanghai Masters round of 32 after a hard-fought win over Terence Atmane.

Fritz reached his first ever Grand Slam final at the US Open last month, where he lost to world number one Jannik Sinner.

Since then, the American has had mixed fortunes on the court, beginning with two of three wins at the Laver Cup.

But he and his Team World teammates lost to Team Europe in Berlin, with Fritz having been struggling with a shoulder injury.

Fritz did, however, appear at the Japan Open soon after, but despite being the number one seed in Tokyo, he lost out to Arthur Fils in the round of 32.

Taylor Fritz states his main goal after opening Shanghai Masters win

But he has returned to winning ways at the Shanghai Masters, beating Atmane 7-6(7-4), 7-6(7-5) in the round of 64.

The American currently sits fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, but qualifying for the ATP Finals is not a priority at this moment in time.

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“I don’t want to speak too soon, but I think I’m in a good position,” said Fritz, as quoted by the ATP Tour website.

“I’m not thinking so much about the goal of reaching the finals right now, because I’m fifth in the race. If the goal is that and I get panicky, it would be like, ‘Let’s just not slip four spots’.

“My goal right now is to finish the year in the Top 5, keep my place. I think that’s just a better mindset to have, both to qualify for the finals and play good tennis for the rest of the year.”

Taylor Fritz sets up Shanghai Masters meeting with Yosuke Watanuki

Fritz didn’t know what to expect from Atmane, with the duo going head-to-head for the first time on the ATP Tour.

Making the match that more challenging was the delay, with rain having forced a suspension of the encounter.

But the American remained focused to edge past the Frenchman, with Fritz maintaining his strong position in the Race to Turin rankings.

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The Shanghai Masters seventh seed has now been drawn to face Japan qualifier Yosuke Watanuki, who is on a fantastic run at the tournament.

Their round of 32 clash comes after Watanuki clinched a hugely impressive victory over number 32 seed Brandon Nakashima.