MASON — After a spring marred by injury, Taylor Fritz is now having the best stretch of his 2026 season.
Fritz, the ATP's No. 9-ranked player, is coming off a DC Open title in July, as well as his first major quarterfinal of the season at Wimbledon. And after defeating Australian qualifier Christopher O'Connell 6-4, 6-3 in the fourth round ofthe Cincinnati Openon Wednesday, Aug. 19, he's now in his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal of the season.
It's a fact that took Fritz by surprise, which is perhaps a reflection of how up-and-down his season has been.
"Really? I didn't even realize," Fritz told The Enquirer of getting his maiden ATP 1000 quarterfinal berth this year. "It feels good to be in the quarterfinals. I think I've been playing good tennis
lately, and I'm a little surprised to hear that."
For most of 2026, Fritz was battling physically. He's struggled with knee tendinitis throughout the season, which kept him out of the Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome Masters tournaments in the leadup to the French Open. Fritz also dealt with this knee problem during his Wimbledon quarterfinal loss to Alexander Zverev, after beating the German in their previous seven matches.
It wasn't easy for Fritz to sit out multiple tournaments: in his pre-Cincinnati press conference, he talked about how stopping play because of his knee pain was akin to "quitting." He felt that way in Montreal's National Bank Open, running on fumes after DC and knowing his body didn't have what it took to make it past the first round.
On Wednesday, Fritz experienced the exact opposite. He now thinks his elimination in Montreal is a "blessing in disguise," allowing him to get the rest he needed to make a deep run in Cincinnati. So far, he has yet to drop a set this tournament.
"It just felt amazing to be back playing with the physicality in my movement and my push off with my legs," Fritz said. "I forgot what it felt like to play (like that) because I played injured for a while, so it does feel great to have that back."
Fritz's increased physicality showed on Aug. 19. Of course, he shined at what he does best, which is to get quick holds with his big serve and first-strike tennis. But he also emphasized the need to have better rally tolerance, which he did in big moments, throughout the match rather than relying on aggression.
The 28-year-old broke O'Connell in his final service games of each set. In the first set break, Fritz forced O'Connell into several errors. Meanwhile, in the second, Fritz won a crucial rally to capture his first break point in that set.
"I was spraying the ball a little bit too much when I was trying to be aggressive," Fritz said. "I just had to dial it back partway through the first set. I felt like I was missing some of the aggressive shots that I would like to be making and really relied on that rally tolerance."
As part of the final eight, Fritz has a legitimate chance of becoming the first American man to win the Cincinnati Open since 2006. This especially holds true in the absence of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic bowing out in the first round, and top-seeded Alexander Zverev being upset by No. 18 Tommy Paul in the fourth round on Wednesday.
Fritz has been eyeing that Cincinnati title on home soil. He said he wanted to start winning more Masters titles (he holds one, from when he beat Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells in 2022) after clinching the ATP 500-level DC title in July, and his draw has opened up for it this tournament. He's set to play No. 27 Brandon Nakashima in Friday's quarterfinals, and the only top-10 seed that he could potentially face is No. 7 Flavio Cobolli in the semis.
"I was probably feeling the pressure a bit after my first match, just seeing how my draw was opening with Casper (Ruud) out, (Joao) Fonseca out. I felt like there was definitely an opportunity there," Fritz said. "I've just got to focus on the next match in front of me."
After months of struggle, Fritz finally feels good again: both in his tennis and with his body. That may just be the key for him to chase his biggest title in over four years.
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ATP top-ranked American has season breakthrough at Cincinnati Open
