Set point saved 😁 Defending champ Taylor Fritz takes the opening set in a tense tiebreak over Borges in Delray Beach! @delraybeachopen
Taylor FRITZ opens Delray Beach title defense with convincing triumph over Nuno BORGES
ATPThursday, 15 February 2024 at 04:07
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.
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