Watch: Taylor Fritz & Felix Auger-Aliassime pose for pre-match photo at ATP Cup, but photographer is nowhere to be seen
Taylor Fritz defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4 in the 2022 ATP Cup on Sunday. Fritz's win helped Team USA cruise to a 3-0 victory over cross-border rivals Canada in their Group C clash.
There was plenty of entertainment even before the match started as Fritz and Auger-Aliassime posed together for a customary photograph only to be told that there was no photographer in place.
The incident can be seen in the video below:
Sound on 😆
Photographer, where you at?
#ATPCup https://t.co/xFyQmKusuj
In the video, the chair umpire can be heard asking the two players to stand together at the net. After Fritz and Auger-Aliassime obliged, the chair umpire noticed that no photographer was present and told the two players to begin their warm-up.
Taylor Fritz helps Team USA sweep Canada at the ATP Cup
Big win for Big John 👋
@JohnIsner comes out firing to earn USA its first point of the competition, sweeping by Schnur 6-1, 6-3
#ATPCup https://t.co/hZzHH947kG
Team USA began their campaign strongly, with John Isner scoring a 6-1, 6-3 win over Brayden Schnur. Taylor Fritz then took the court against Felix Auger-Aliassime, fully aware that a victory would secure the tie for his country.
Fritz lost the opening set in a tie-break but responded strongly to come through in three sets.
Later, Fritz and Isner combined to beat the pair of Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov in an inconsequential doubles rubber.
With their emphatic 3-0 win over Team Canada, the USA registered their maiden points at the ATP Cup. Fritz's side lost all three of their ties in 2020 (against Norway, Russia, and Italy) and failed to qualify for the 2021 edition of the event.
Speaking during his on-court interview, the 24-year-old expressed his delight at helping his nation secure their first-ever win at the ATP Cup.
"We're feeling really good," Fritz said. "When we played in 2020, we didn't win a match, so first win for Team USA at the ATP Cup. It feels good."
Fritz believes he should have won the first set against Auger-Aliassime, given that he "played pretty well."
"I definitely deserved to win the [first] set. I basically did everything but win it," Taylor Fritz said. "I knew that it was obviously really important for the team and also really [important] for me and I felt like I played pretty well in the first set, but I felt like I could play even better. So I just kind of focused on that and told myself to just kind of do the same thing I just did and win the next two sets."