ATP Tour
Fritz fends off Harris for US Open R3 spot, Tiafoe wins

2024 finalist Fritz will next face qualifier Kym

August 27, 2025

Taylor Fritz overcomes Lloyd Harris on Wednesday at the US Open in New York.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Taylor Fritz overcomes Lloyd Harris on Wednesday at the US Open in New York.
By ATP Staff

Taylor Fritz underlined his 2025 US Open credentials by passing a stern second-round test on Wednesday in New York.

Fritz hung tough in the face of a fast start by Lloyd Harris before powering to a 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-4 victory. A finalist last year at the hard-court major and the current leading American in the PIF ATP Rankings, World No. 4 Fritz took control of his encounter with Harris after crucially clinching the second-set tie-break inside Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Fritz fired 54 winners, including 17 aces, to improve to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Harris. Both the pair’s previous tour-level meetings took place in 2020, and the 2025 incarnation of Fritz ultimately proved too strong for the South African qualifier.

Now 40-15 for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Fritz will take on another qualifier in the third round in Jerome Kym. The Swiss 22-year-old will be aiming to upset a higher-ranked American for the third consecutive match: He ousted Ethan Quinn in the opening round and then on Wednesday edged 30th seed Brandon Nakashima 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(10-8).

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The man Fritz defeated in the 2024 semi-finals, Frances Tiafoe, was also pushed to four sets in his second-round match. The 17th-seeded Tiafoe overcame qualifier Martin Damm 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(8), 7-5 to improve to 14-0 against players ranked outside the Top 50 at the US Open.

Now 24-10 at the US Open, Tiafoe will take on 11th seed Holger Rune or Jan-Lennard Struff for a fourth-round spot in New York. The charismatic American is battling to remain a Top 20 player this fortnight: With last year’s semi-final points having dropped off, Tiafoe is currently down 12 spots to No. 29 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.