Sports

TENNIS | Taylor Fritz Outduels Frances Tiafoe in Rakuten Japan Open Final

With the win, the American will reach the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time and bolster his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals.

Published

2 years ago

October 9, 2022

Ed Odeven

Taylor Fritz plays a shot to Frances Tiafoe in the men's singles final at the 2022 Rakuten Japan Open on October 9 at Ariake Colosseum. (Hiro Komae/AP)

This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website.

Two rising American tennis stars renewed their rivalry in the men's singles final at the Rakuten Japan Open on Sunday, October 9.

World No. 11 Taylor Fritz and 19th-ranked Frances Tiafoe went all-out in pursuit of every point in just under 1 hour and 57 minutes of court time.

In the end, Fritz prevailed 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2) at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum, earning his fourth career singles title and second this year.

What's more, Fritz became the first American in more than a quarter century to win the tournament. Pete Sampras was the last American singles champion in the event in 1996, when he defeated Richey Reneberg 6-4, 7-5 for his 42nd career title.

Read the full story on SportsLook.

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven, and find him on JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website, SportsLook.