Taylor's Target: Top 100

With four teens in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, the youth movement on the ATP World Tour is rapidly gaining momentum.

The last 15 months have seen three 18 year olds crack the century mark, and if Taylor Fritz has his way, the American will join the exclusive club very soon. World No. 44 Borna Coric entered the Top 100 in October 2014, weeks before turning 19, followed by No. 51 Hyeon Chung in April of last year and No. 83 Alexander Zverev a month later.

“I’ve decided I want to be in the Top 100 by the end of the year,” Fritz told ATPWorldTour.com. “That’s my main goal. I want to finish the year in the Top 100.”

Read: 10 Questions For Taylor Fritz

Rising to the precipice of the Top 150, at World No. 154, after clinching his third ATP Challenger Tour title on Sunday in Happy Valley, Fritz is enjoying unprecedented success at such a young age. The Rancho Santa Fe, California native denied Dudi Sela 7-6(7), 6-2 in the final, improving his sublime Challenger record to 22-5. With only 35 Emirates ATP Rankings points to defend before October, Fritz is in strong shape to achieve his goal.

“I’m really excited (to be playing at the professional level). I’ve been playing the juniors for the past couple of years and now I’m excited to play the whole pro schedule and see where I end up.

“It feels really good to be having these wins against guys who will be in the Australian Open qualifying. I’m going to take it one match at a time and hopefully tomorrow I can get the win. I’m feeling good regardless going into the Australian Open.”

Watch ATP World Tour Uncovered: Taylor Fritz

Fritz will next head to the Australian Open to contest his third Grand Slam qualifying event and first down under. The last American teen to qualify for a major was Tommy Paul just a few months ago at the US Open.

Fritz, who notched his first ATP World Tour match win on debut in Nottingham (d. Carreno Busta) last year, is ready for more tour-level success in 2016, thanks to a dedicated off-season training block.

“It would be to do all the right things on and off the court,” Fritz said of his New Year’s resolution. “That is, be healthy, work hard all the time and be more of a professional off the court.

“I’ve worked on a lot of fitness in the off-season. I’ve tried to put on a little weight and get stronger, which I was able to do. On court, I worked on a lot of movement, transitioning and slicing. They were parts of my game that weren’t all there. I think I made a lot of progress.”

Fritz Fast Facts

• One of three American teens in the Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings (Donaldson, Tiafoe).

• Won first ATP World Tour match on debut in Nottingham last year. One of 12 teens to win a match at ATP World Tour or Grand Slam level in 2015.

• Owns 22-5 ATP Challenger Tour record, with three titles won in  just eight tournaments.

• First 18 year old to win three Challenger titles since Hyeon Chung (won four) last year.

• Became second player (Horst Skoff) under the age of 18 to win back-to-back Challenger titles with consecutive crowns in Sacramento and Fairfield. Saved a combined 47 of 51 break points in doing so.

• Became ninth player to win multiple Challenger titles while under the age of 18, joining Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin del Potro and Tomas Berdych.

• Win over Jared Donaldson in Sacramento final was the first all-teen Challenger final since 2007, when Mischa Zverev beat Lukas Lacko in Istanbul.