NEW YORK (Reuters) – Taylor Fritz leaned on his dominant forehand to beat Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-5 6-1 6-2 on Monday and reach the second round of the U.S. Open.
World number 12 Fritz, the highest ranked of 17 American men in the main draw, won 79% of points on his first serve and converted seven of 11 break-point chances to secure victory on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
In the first meeting between the two players, Fritz needed a bit of time to find his rhythm and was made to come back from an early break down before securing the opening set when he broke Ugo Carabelli for a third time.
The second set was all one-way traffic as Fritz faced just one break point while building a 5-0 lead before Ugo Carabelli finally held serve only for the American to close out the frame on his serve.
With victory in sight and the home crowd firmly on his side, Fritz broke at love to go 3-2 up in the third set and broke again before serving out the match with a love hold that was capped with a pair of aces.
Up next for Fritz, looking to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open, will be a clash with Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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