Set point saved 😁 Defending champ Taylor Fritz takes the opening set in a tense tiebreak over Borges in Delray Beach! @delraybeachopen
First seed Taylor Fritz (No. 9) began the defense of his Delray Beach Open title with a victory over Nuno Borges (No. 46) by 7-6(5), 6-4. The American, who was the champion in 2023, returned to the courts for the first time since his exit from the Australian Open at the hands of Novak Djokovic.
Borges, a regular in Challenger tournaments, arrived at the peak of his career after entering the top 50 for the first time and delivering an impressive performance in Australia. He reached the fourth round, defeating two seeded players, and posed a challenge to Daniil Medvedev before being eliminated.
In the first part of the opening set, neither player gained a clear advantage, although Fritz began to encounter difficulties in landing his first serve. The first break came from the Portuguese side in the seventh game, and he subsequently consolidated it with his serve to take a 5-4 lead.
Borges served to claim the first set but couldn't secure the advantage. Fritz returned the break, saving a set point against him. The set extended to a tie-break, where both players were nearly flawless with their serves. However, Fritz secured the mini-break with the score tied at 5-5 and then clinched the set 7-6(5) on his serve.
Borges experienced a dip in his level at the start of the second set, and Fritz stood firm from the baseline. On his third break point opportunity, Fritz capitalized to take an early lead. Although Borges sought a break in the next game, when the former world No. 5 landed his first serve, it became practically impossible for the Portuguese to play a rallie.
With an advantage from the beginning of the set, Fritz didn't showcase much on the return but relied on a powerful serve to finish the set without conceding any break points to his opponent, concluding the match 7-6, 6-4. In the quarterfinals, Fritz will face Rinky Hijikata (No. 84), who defeated the 6th seed Matteo Arnaldi (No. 43) by 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
Set point saved 😁 Defending champ Taylor Fritz takes the opening set in a tense tiebreak over Borges in Delray Beach! @delraybeachopen