Taylor Fritz found himself at a loss for words after squandering a two-set advantage to Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, joining a group of six top-10 seeded players knocked out of the men’s tournament during the opening week of the US Open.
Initially, the ninth-seeded American dominated the match and secured an early break in the third set, but the 24th-seeded Cerundolo staged a stunning comeback to claim a 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory and advance to the round of 16.
Under an hour afterwards, Italian fifth seed Flavio Cobolli suffered a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 loss to Belgium’s Alexander Blockx, making the men’s bracket even more unpredictable.
Conversely, Alexander Zverev, the German top seed, managed to advance. The reigning French Open champion secured a 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 victory over the 25th seed from Chile, Alejandro Tabilo, to progress to the fourth round.
“I’m speechless,” Fritz admitted. “I don’t want to converse with anyone or see anyone right now.
“I just need to step away for a few days before restarting my training. I can’t comprehend how I allowed that match to get away from me today.”
Having reached the final at Flushing Meadows in 2024, Fritz was aiming to be the fifth representative from the United States to secure a spot in the round of 16 this year.
Following the injury withdrawal of top-ranked Jannik Sinner and with Carlos Alcaraz just coming back from a lengthy wrist injury, hopes have been rising for a domestic champion in the men’s draw—more than two decades after Andy Roddick last lifted the trophy.
That hope still rests on the shoulders of Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Alex Michelsen, and Learner Tien—though Fritz will undoubtedly feel he missed a massive chance.
Now, Cerundolo and the 28th-seeded Blockx are set to face off in the fourth round, competing for a spot in the quarter-finals.
