Taylor Fritz continued his strong run at the US Open, reaching the third round with a straight-sets win over Mattia Bellucci. The American looked in control throughout, dropping just two games in a 98-minute match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. However, even his dominant run did not save him from some friendly banter from a close friend and fellow American player, Tommy Paul.
Tommy Paul Takes Hilarious Swipe at Taylor Fritz After US Open Second-Round Win
Following his 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 win over the Italian, Fritz took to social media to share a few pics from the match, where he is looking down at the court with his racket in hand. He added a caption, “Just getting started 🗽,” and paired the post with the song “Hot” by Young Thug and Gunna.
Watching Fritz’s dominant performance, Paul could not resist teasing, commenting, “Slow start today hopefully you start better in the next one.”
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Fritz had won the opening set 6-0 and did not drop a game at the start of the match. He won 86% of his first-serve points and kept Bellucci under pressure.
The 28-year-old converted eight of 15 break points and saved all three he faced. The win also gave Fritz his 200th hard-court tour-level victory of the decade.
For Fritz, the quick win was important as he looks to make a deep run at the US Open. The ninth seed said it was important to save energy early in the tournament, especially because best-of-five matches can take a lot out of players.
“I feel great. I think it is really important to not kill yourself in the first couple matches because you need to have the energy to potentially do that later on in the week,” Fritz told reporters. He also explained how difficult it is to fully recover from a five-set match, even with a day off.
After a knee injury earlier this season, Fritz made his comeback to winning ways at the DC Open in Washington. He won his 11th career ATP title and first of 2026 by beating 19-year-old Spanish rising star Rafael Jodar 7-6(2), 6-4 in the final.
At the Grand Slams and in his last tournament in Cincinnati, however, Fritz could not make it past the quarterfinals. This year, Fritz has reached three finals in Dallas, Stuttgart, and Halle. He lost twice to Ben Shelton and once to Frances Tiafoe.
The World No. 10 was also happy with how he had played in his opening matches and said the quick win gave him more confidence.
“So, it’s good to get through these the way that I’ve gotten through these,” Fritz added. “I think the first round match I played okay, but today, you know, everything was really working for me. It definitely gives me a lot of confidence.”
He will play the next match in the third round against Francisco Cerundolo on Saturday, September 5.
