Overview
- Fritz defeated Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(4) in the Toronto quarterfinals, firing 20 aces and winning 79% of his first serves to reach the National Bank Open semifinals.
- The No. 2 seed has won 18 of his last 21 matches this season and captured two titles, marking his 20th hard-court win of the year.
- Several top players including Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka withdrew after the Canadian Open expanded to a 12-day Masters 1000 event.
- Fritz labeled the schedule “insane” and joined Iga Swiatek, Alcaraz and former pros in urging the ATP to trim mandatory events and shorten the calendar.
- Debate over the compressed turnaround between Wimbledon and North American hard-court tournaments is intensifying ahead of Cincinnati and the US Open.