Taylor Fritz’s impressive Grand Slam stat that only Jannik Sinner can beat
The start of Taylor Fritz’s Australian Open campaign could not have been more emphatic.
A heavy favourite to beat compatriot Jenson Brooksby in the opening round, Fritz wasted little time sealing a 6-2, 6-0, 6-3 victory over his compatriot to reach the second round.
“It’s never easy playing that first match in a Slam, there are some nerves, so I did a really good job shaking them off early and playing really solid,” said Fritz.
“I work really hard and I think a lot of that is shown in how I have been able to keep making improvements in the later stages of my career.”
Such a dominant win only partially highlights Fritz’s dramatic rise over the past 12 months, with the 27-year-old now established as one of the top forces in the men’s game.
This is the first time Fritz has been a top four seed at a Grand Slam event, and the early signs suggest that he is more than capable of living up to expectations at this Australian Open.
Fritz’s consistency at Grand Slams across the latter stages of 2023 and throughout 2024 was notable, and he found particular success on hard courts.
A year ago, Fritz reached the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time and then made it to a first Grand Slam singles final at the US Open.
Adding Tuesday’s round one win over Brooksby brings Fritz up to 11 match wins at the hard court Grand Slams since the start of 2024.
That is an impressive figure in itself – but it becomes even more notable when you compare his record to the rest of the field.
Australian Open News
Opinion: Tennis will not miss Nick Kyrgios – he will be remembered as one of the ultimate failures
John McEnroe makes rankings prediction for rising American star after youngster’s upset win
Only one man has won more hard court Grand Slam matches since the start of 2024 – that player being Jannik Sinner.
World No 1 Sinner is a perfect 15-0 at hard court majors since 2024, having won in both Melbourne and New York last year – beating Fritz in the final of the latter.
Sinner then defeated Nicolas Jarry in straight sets to start his Australian Open title defence on Monday, and is considered the favourite to defend his title.
The closest behind Fritz is world No 2 Alexander Zverev, who is the third and final man to hit double figures – with 10 such wins to his name.
Carlos Alcaraz has six such victories to his name, while Novak Djokovic has eight.
Up next for Fritz in Melbourne is qualifier Cristian Garin, who defeated Borna Coric to reach the second round.
Taylor Fritz at Hard Court Grand Slams (since 2024)
2024 Australian Open
R1: def Facundo Diaz Acosta 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
R2: def Hugo Gaston 6-0, 6-3, 6-1
R3: def Fabian Marozsan 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
R4: def Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
QF: l. Novak Djokovic 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
2024 US Open
R1: def Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-5, 6-1, 6-2
R2: def Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-1
R3: def Francisco Comesana 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
R4: def Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
QF: def Alexander Zverev 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3)
SF: def Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
F: l. Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
2025 Australian Open
R1: def Jenson Brooksby 6-2, 6-0, 6-3
R2: vs Cristian Garin (tbc)
Read Next: Australian Open: Rating Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, & Novak Djokovic’s Round 1 victories
