Fritz outlasts Murray, Pegula rallies past Svitolina in Washington
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Taylor Fritz celebrates his win against Britain's Andy Murray at the rain-hit Washington Open.
PHOTO: GEOFF BURKE/USA TODAY SPORTS
WASHINGTON - Top-seeded Taylor Fritz outlasted three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-4 and faced a quarter-final later on Friday at the rain-hit Washington Open.
World number nine Fritz, coming off his sixth career ATP title last week in Atlanta, rallied to dispatch the 44th-ranked British star after a three-hour battle.
The 25-year-old American’s reward was a later quarter-final against Australian Jordan Thompson, who ousted American Christopher Eubanks 6-2, 6-2 in another match postponed from Thursday because of rain.
On the women’s side at the ATP and WTA hardcourt event, top seed Jessica Pegula outlasted Wimbledon semi-finalist Elina Svitolina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
The American will face the winner of a later quarter-final between US seventh seed Madison Keys and Greek fourth seed Maria Sakkari, who beat Canadian Leylah Fernandez 7-5, 6-2 on Friday in a rain-postponed match.
Murray, showing his formidable range of skills at age 36, won his first break chance of the match with a forehand cross-court drop volley winner on the line, breaking Fritz and pull level 5-5 on the way to a first set tie-break.
Murray smashed a forehand winner for a 3-1 lead, took a quick break to replace a shattered shoe, then took two points off Fritz’s serve for a 5-2 lead. He closed out the first set two points later on a forehand winner.
Fritz battled back to take the second and they fought to 4-4 in the third before Murray swatted a backhand wide to surrender a break.
Murray roared to a 40-0 lead in the 10th game but Fritz saved three break points, the last on his 17th ace. Murray denied him on two match points but Fritz blasted a forehand winner on his third chance for the victory.
Pegula rallies to win
Pegula broke to open the final set and denied Svitolina on five break points in the sixth game before holding for a 4-2 lead.
Svitolina saved two match points before holding in the ninth game but Pegula saved a break point in the 10th game and advanced with a service winner on her third match point, improving to 3-1 overall against Svitolina after two hours and eight minutes.
“I was like, ‘If I don’t serve this out, it might have been a quick 5-7.’ I probably would have lost,” Pegula said.
“I was so tired. I know that sounds terrible to say. That’s not what you’re supposed to be thinking but... I sweated through the entire thing.”
Jessica Pegula (right) shakes hands with Ukrainian Elina Svitolina after defeating her in three sets.
PHOTO: AFP
World number three Pegula, the 2019 Washington champion, reached her fifth WTA semi-final of the year and first since April.
Svitolina, making a comeback after becoming a mother last year, is coming off a trip to the French Open quarter-finals and a victory over top-ranked Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon.
“Tons of respect for her,” Pegula said of Svitolina. “She just had a baby. Everything she’s going through with her country. I told her I feel like she came back as a new person. You can see the competitiveness.”
Tallon Griekspoor ousted France’s Gael Monfils, the 2016 Washington champion, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in a match halted by rain. The Dutchman faces American J.J. Wolf next.
British ninth seed Daniel Evans beat Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 6-3 to book a later quarter-final against either second-seeded hometown hero Frances Tiafoe or Chinese teenager Shang Juncheng.
That eventual winner has a Saturday semi-final date with Bulgarian fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov, who advanced by walkover due to a leg injury for France’s Ugo Humbert.
Liudmila Samsonova, the eighth seed from Russia, beat Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-2 to book a semi-final against either US third seed Coco Gauff or Swiss sixth seed Belinda Bencic.
