Fritz Beats Wolf In All-American Atlanta SF

Taylor Fritz already has one title on an American hard-court this season. Now he is one win away from a second at the Atlanta Open. The Delray Beach champion defeated countryman J.J. Wolf 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday at the ATP 250 to advance to his 11th tour-level final. 

“It was really solid. I served well the whole match,” said Fritz, who saved both break points against him. “Whenever I was in trouble I played a lot of good points. I just did what I was supposed to do and didn’t really give him much.”

Both players thrilled the crowd with power tennis, with both eager to take the initiative in points with first-strike tennis. But on a hot day in Atlanta, it was Fritz’s consistency and his performance on the big points that made the difference.

With a win in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Wolf, Fritz improved to 17-9 against Top 50 players this season. He will bid for his sixth ATP Tour title — and his fourth on hard courts — on Sunday against  seventh seed Ugo Humbert or Aleksandar Vukic.

Regardless of the opponent, Fritz will be counting on the backing of the American fans to help him over the line.

“It’s been great having all the support this week,” he said during his on-court interview. “It’s so hot, so it’s such a good effort for all these people to come out and support, even in this heat. So I appreciate all the love and I hope we’ll bring it in the final.”