Citi Open: Taylor Fritz edges Andy Murray to seal quarters berth in Washington

American Taylor Fritz won an entertaining three-hour battle against Andy Murray 6-7(2) 6-3 6-4 in their rain-delayed match on Friday in Washington, D.C., and will face Jordan Thompson in the quarter-finals in the evening session.

The veteran Scot overcame an early break of serve in the marathon first set to force a tiebreak that was dominated by the three-time major champion.

The American top seed broke again early in the second set, which was enough to seal the set and stretch the contest into a decider.

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In the tight third set, Fritz took advantage of a sloppy service game from Murray to arrive on the doorstep of victory at 5-4. But Murray was not done and threatened to level when he jumped ahead 0-40 in the next game.

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Fritz, who crushed 17 aces, managed to serve his way out of trouble and hit a lovely lunging volley to set up match point, which he converted with a cross-court forehand winner.

The match showcased not only both players' raw power but also their versatility, with each deploying deft drop shots at critical times, often leading to entertaining rallies on a hot and humid day.

Play was halted at one point by climate change protesters who threw large tennis balls with flames printed on them onto the court and unfurled banners calling on tournament sponsors Mubadala and Citi to stop funding the fossil fuel industry.

The winner of the Fritz-Thompson match will face Tallon Griekspoor for the place in the final after the Dutch player overwhelmed American J.J. Wolf 7-5 6-4.

Tiafoe advances

Hometown hero Frances Tiafoe, who grew up in the D.C. metropolitan area, beat 18-year-old qualifier Shang Juncheng 6-2 6-3.

Tiafoe rifled a forehand passing shot on match point and raised his arms to pump up the adoring crowd after notching the win.

The second-seeded Tiafoe will face Dan Evans in a quarter-final later on Friday after the Briton beat Russia's Alexander Shevchenko 6-4 6-3.

The winner will take on Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who reached the semi-finals without hitting a ball after he was handed a walkover by Frenchman Ugo Humbert.

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