Taylor Fritz survives brutal clash with Nishioka to keep Turin hopes alive

Taylor Fritz is in desperate need of points and he barely missed out on Turin barely escaping Nishioka in three 6-7(4) 7-6(9) 6-3.

Two hours and 45 minutes was the length of the match that saw Fritz move past Nishioka. The American did not expect such a tricky task but he was fairly fortunate to see himself move on. Turin is not far away and to be there, Fritz needs a strong finish to the season as Auger-Aliassime went back-to-back in Gijon and Antwerp solidifying his case.

This one was close and long and exciting and everything in between. The first set was very indoorsy with no break chances at all. It was a tiebreak and it was one where Nishioka proved a bit more patient and it paid off 7-4.

Fritz was far more aggressive hitting 18 winners total but also had 12 unforced errors. Nishioka was solid with 8-4 and towards the end, the conservative approach worked. The second set gave Nishioka many chances to close out the match but the Japanese player could not get over the line despite superb play.

16 winners and only 1 error were not enough as Fritz dragged himself to a tiebreak saving a match point in the process. He took it 9-7 but fell behind 1-3 in the final set with Turin looking far away. Nishioka wasted his chance and Fritz was able to mount a superb comeback to win five games in a row and close it out with 6-3. A superb win to keep his name in the mix.