3. Taylor Fritz has stepped into the Top 4, and will lead a large American brigade
Fritz, at 27, has reached the highest seeding rung in the sport: The Top 4 at a major. That makes him the highest seed in his quarter, and keeps him out of the crosshairs of Sinner, Alcaraz and Zverev until the semis. But it hasn’t kept him from having a potential meeting with No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, a three-time finalist Down Under, in the quarterfinals.
Fritz also hasn’t avoided his fellow Americans. He’ll start with a potentially tricky one in Jenson Brooksby, who is returning from a doping-related suspension, and who beat Fritz in their only meeting, in 2021. Other Yanks in this quarter include Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima.
As far as number of players go, the U.S. has taken Australia by storm this month, winning United Cup and heavily populating the fields at all events. Can any of them take home the big one? It’s a question the country’s men’s tennis fans have been asking for 22 years.
Fritz is a contender, but he may need chaos, in the form of prior losses by Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic, to ensue for him to have a legitimate chance. Tommy Paul is seeded eight spots below Fritz, but he has landed in a fairly safe spot, in the quarter led by Zverev and Casper Ruud. Another semifinal run for Paul isn’t out of the question.
