Top tennis in Saudi Arabia as Fritz edges out Medvedev for Diriyah title

US star Taylor Fritz proved too good for defending champion Daniil Medvedev in the final of the second edition of the Diriyah Tennis Cup presented by Aramco in Riyadh on Saturday.

Fritz and Medvedev had only met on one occasion previously, when the result was reversed, but the American showed his class in the key moments of the match in front of a record crowd in Saudi Arabia to take it 7-6, 7-6.

Fritz told Arab News: “Last time we played, he won. He told me I was the better player in the first set and it’s kind of reversed this time. It was a really tough match. He was in control. He had all the chances. Every time he had a breakpoint, I played really well and always kind of came up with what I needed to. And then I played well in the tiebreakers and the big points so I was then able to steal it away from him.”

“I feel very happy whenever I win a tournament and get to hold the trophy and lift it, and all the confetti and sparklers and whatever pictures were taken. It’s always kind of a feeling like it’s one of the reasons why you want to play tennis, and why I like doing this is for that moment when it feels so great. I hope to come back to Saudi Arabia, as I did really well here and I like it here. So we’ll have to wait and see what happens next year,” Fritz said.

Neither player dropped their serve throughout the final, which went on for almost 2 hours, with Fritz showing his grit to claim nine break points and deliver when it mattered in winning both tiesbreakers — and claim the $1 million prize money.

World No. 9 Fritz added: “I’m super happy whenever I get these kinds of wins because I played the big points really well. I want to thank all the sponsors that made this event possible. It’s a really great event.