SPORTS
Taylor Fritz Advances to Shanghai Masters Third Round After Rain-Delayed Victory
World number seven Taylor Fritz finally advanced to the third round of the Shanghai Masters after defeating France’s Terence Atmane in a rain-delayed match. Resuming at 4-3 in the first set after two days of weather interruptions, Fritz triumphed in straight sets, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5). Despite facing the 161st-ranked player, Fritz acknowledged the tough challenge, saying, “He played really well, and I had to stay on top of my game to secure the win.”
Fritz will now face Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki in the next round, hoping to continue his winning momentum. In other matches, world number 10 Grigor Dimitrov overcame Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in a three-set battle, while American Frances Tiafoe ended local hopes by defeating China’s Zhou Yi in straight sets. Tiafoe’s next opponent is Russian Roman Safiullin, who he described as a “super dark horse.”
The tournament schedule has been heavily impacted by rain, with multiple second-round matches rescheduled, adding to the tension for both players and fans.