"They always bring gifts for players and team members to welcome them to Japan, I love it" - Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle after the American reached Japan Open final
Taylor Fritz, who turned pro in 2015, is enjoying his best season on tour with a win-loss record of 40-17. He has also won two ATP singles titles in 2022 — The Indian Wells Masters and Eastbourne International.
The 24-year-old, who is currently playing at the Japan Open in Tokyo, defeated Canada's Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 in the semifinals on Saturday, which means that he will break into the ATP top 10 for the first time in his career next Monday. In matches before the semifinal, Fritz downed the likes of James Duckworth and Hiroki Moriya before receiving a walkover from Nick Kyrgios, who withdrew before the match started due to a knee injury.
Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle was present at the match and was overwhelmed by the fantastic behavior of fans in Japan. She took to social media to express gratitude toward the fans for staying back to listen to the on-court interview after the match. She also mentioned how they brought gifts for the players to welcome them to their country.
"One of my favorite parts about going to tournaments is getting to see the difference in fans across the world," Riddle wrote. "Last night, over 90% of the stadium stayed to watch the on-court interview after the match (most other counties, they leave as soon as the match is over). Many fans had both American and Canadian flags because they wanted to support both players. The arena was so quiet during the points and they always bring gifts for players and team members to welcome them to Japan. I love it."
Taylor Fritz to face Frances Tiafoe in the Japan Open final
Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe have known each other since they were teenagers and share a healthy bond. The two players were part of Team World, which recently defeated Team Europe at the 2022 Laver Cup in London. They are all set to square off against each other in the final of the Japan Open later on Sunday.
Fritz, who leads Tiafoe 4-1 in their head-to-head, spoke about their rivalry after his semifinal win, stating that although they have been friends, they are also rivals and that their matches are always very close.
"It’s always very tight when we play each other," Taylor Fritz said. "We’ve been really close friends for a long time and it’s one of those things where we’re really close friends but we’re also rivals, as well. I feel like there’s been this ongoing rivalry between us since we were probably 16 or 17 years old. It’ll be fun. There’s always tension when we play. It’s going to be a good match."