Taylor Fritz, the world number four and 2022 Indian Wells champion, is making a strong run at capturing a second Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open in Toronto. Entering as the number two seed, following the withdrawals of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, Fritz quickly established himself as one of the tournament favorites.
Fritz opened his campaign with a victory over Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena, progressing smoothly into the third round. There, he faced Canadian hopeful Gabriel Diallo, the last remaining local player, and defeated him 6-4, 6-2, ending the host nation’s hopes of advancing further in the tournament.
Fritz reflects on unexpectedly positive behavior from Canadian Open supporters
In the post-match press conference, Fritz shared his thoughts on the atmosphere and the crowd‘s behavior during his match against Diallo. He revealed that despite anticipating a hostile environment due to his opponent’s home advantage, he found the crowd to be more supportive than expected.
“Mentally, I’m ready for it. I’m not going out there thinking that the crowd is going to be supporting me or anything like that,” —Taylor Fritz, professional tennis player
“I know they are going to be crazy for him.” —Taylor Fritz, professional tennis player
Fritz went on to explain his surprise at how amicable the fans were during the match.
“To be honest, I thought the crowd was very mild for me playing… mild is not the right word, just nice to me playing the last player in the tournament from Canada,” —Taylor Fritz, professional tennis player
“I thought it was going to be a little bit more hostile, but I guess everyone is just so nice. I’ve dealt with a lot worse, so I’m always prepared for the worst.” —Taylor Fritz, professional tennis player
Diallo’s exit left no Canadian players remaining in the Canadian Open beyond the third round, marking a disappointing outcome for the home crowd.
How Fritz evaluates the skills of Gabriel Diallo, the promising Canadian player
Fritz, who has defeated Diallo in two of their past three encounters, including a win at Wimbledon en route to the semifinals, offered an insightful analysis of the Canadian’s strengths after their match in Toronto. He emphasized Diallo’s powerful serve as a difficult element to contend with and praised his overall game.
“I mean, the obvious thing is his serve is very tough to return,” —Taylor Fritz, professional tennis player
Fritz continued to highlight Diallo’s impressive return game, particularly his ability to effectively take second serves early and apply pressure, especially on the backhand side. He noted Diallo’s solid baseline play and aggressive net approaches that prevent opponents from settling into defensive strategies.
“He doesn’t let you play a lot of defense, because he’ll come in and cut it off at the net. He does a lot of things really well.” —Taylor Fritz, professional tennis player
Fritz targets a place among multiple Masters 1000 title winners
Currently, Taylor Fritz is one of 13 active players on the ATP Tour with a single Masters 1000 title, having claimed the Indian Wells championship in 2022. The Canadian Open presents another opportunity for him to join a more exclusive group of players who have secured multiple titles at this level.
Here is the list of active players with one Masters 1000 title each:
- Casper Ruud – 2025 Madrid Open
- Jakub Mensik – 2025 Miami Open
- Jack Draper – 2025 Indian Wells
- Alexei Popyrin – 2024 Canadian Open
- Holger Rune – 2022 Paris Masters
- Borna Coric – 2022 Cincinnati Open
- Pablo Carreno Busta – 2022 Canadian Open
- Taylor Fritz – 2022 Indian Wells
- Cameron Norrie – 2021 Indian Wells
- Karen Khachanov – 2018 Paris Masters
- Grigor Dimitrov – 2017 Cincinnati Open
- Marin Cilic – 2016 Cincinnati Open
- Stan Wawrinka – 2014 Monte-Carlo Masters
Fritz aims to join players like Andrey Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz, who have already earned two Masters titles, though he faces a challenging path ahead.
Upcoming challenge against Jiri Lehecka to progress deeper into the tournament
Fritz’s next opponent will be Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round, a match scheduled for Sunday, August 3. With hopes of securing a spot in the quarterfinals, Fritz is preparing for a tough contest that could bring him closer to lifting his second Masters 1000 trophy.