Taylor Fritz to take on compatriot Frances Tiafoe in Tokyo final: "I feel like there’s been this ongoing rivalry between us since we were probably 16 or 17 years old"

Newly promoted top 10 player Taylor Fritz will have a chance to celebrate that with a trophy if he manages to beat red-hot Frances Tiafoe.

It's going to be a really good final because finals between players that know each other well always do so. Tiafoe has been in excellent form ever since he went ballistic in New York during the US Open and he's yet to cool down:

"I want to win for me. I'm not trying to achieve anybody else's goals or [caring] what they think of me. I'm just trying to be the best I can be and enjoy this. It's been great. The US Open, Laver Cup, to be here now. I'm just having fun with it. I'm confident and I'm just enjoying life, so I'm going to keep doing that."

Fritz himself has been having a very good year and his recent win over Shapovalov ensured him a top 10 debut on Monday. It's a goal he set for himself ahead of the Indian Wells event which he ended up winning in the end. He expects a very good one:

"It’s always very tight when we play each other. We’ve been really close friends for a long time and it’s one of those things where we’re really close friends but we’re also rivals, as well. I feel like there’s been this ongoing rivalry between us since we were probably 16 or 17 years old."