Taylor Fritz hasn't even been tested yet.
He is solidifying himself as a regular in the second half of tournaments.
However, the real challenge is yet to come.
The American tennis player, ranked 12th in the world, easily defeated Francisco Comesana of Argentina, ranked 108th in the world, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, in the third round of the U.S. Open at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Friday afternoon.
The 26-year-old Fritz will next face the winner of the match between Kasper Ruud (ranked No. 8) and Shang Junchen in the fourth round.
“I think getting through the early rounds is a big factor,” Fritz said. “I feel like my confidence is going to increase and I'm going to start playing better. I had a really solid match two days ago and it gave me a lot of confidence to feel good in today's match.”
Fritz, a San Diego native, has won 79 percent of his points at the net, which has helped him dominate so far.
He also beat Komesana four times and was never beaten himself.
With the win, Fritz became the first American man since Andre Agassi in 2003 to reach the round of 16 in all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year.
“For me, this is pretty cool,” Fritz said. “Last year I really struggled with results at Grand Slams. … It's nice to see that I've done a lot better at something that I care a lot about, which is performing at Grand Slams and performing at the biggest tournaments.”
Fritz is still waiting for his first Grand Slam title and even a first Grand Slam final.
He has reached the quarterfinals three times, including last year at the U.S. Open where he lost to Novak Djokovic, but has never made it beyond that.
He will likely face Ruud next, who has a similar recent record.
Ruud defeated Fritz in four sets in the round of 16 at the French Open in May and previously beat him at the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals.
Maybe third time's a charm for Fritz.
“You can't just play at an average level to beat the best players,” Fritz said. “It's time to really step it up.”
