Taylor Fritz cruises into US Open’s fourth round as chase for first Grand Slam title continues

Taylor Fritz has yet to even be tested.

He’s solidifying himself as a late-tournament regular.

But now comes the real challenge.

The top-ranked American men’s tennis player — No. 12 in the world — breezed past Argentinian Francisco Comesana, No. 108 in the world, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, in the third round of the U.S. Open Friday afternoon at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Fritz, 26, will next face No. 8 Casper Ruud.

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“I think a big part of it is just getting through those early rounds,” Fritz said. “I do feel like you get confidence, you start playing better. The match I played two nights ago was a really solid match, and gave me a lot of confidence to feel good in the match today.”

Fritz, a San Diego native, won 79 percent of his points at the net, key in helping him dominate to such a degree.

He also broke Comesana four times, and wasn’t broken a single time himself.

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With the win, Fritz became the first American man to make the round of 16 at all four majors in a year since Andre Agassi in 2003.

“It’s a pretty cool thing for me to do,” Fritz said. “Just last year, I was really struggling with Grand Slam results. … It’s nice to do a lot better in something I put a lot of emphasis on, which was performing at Grand Slams and performing at the biggest tournament.”

Fritz is still searching for his first Grand Slam title, or even an appearance in a Grand Slam final.

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He’s reached three quarterfinals, including at last year’s U.S. Open before falling to Novak Djokovic, but has never made it farther.

He will face Ruud next, whom he shares some recent history with.

Ruud beat Fritz in four sets at Roland Garros in the Round of 16 in May, and before that beat him at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2022.

Perhaps the third time’s the charm for Fritz.

“To beat the top guys, you’re not gonna get by if you’re just playing average level,” Fritz said. “Time to really raise the level.”

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