Taylor Fritz breaks Nadal’s streak to win Indian Wells title

Taylor Fritz has broken the 20-match winning streak that Rafael Nadal has been riding on in 2022, to become the first player from the United States to hoist the Indian Wells trophy since Andre Agassi in 2001.

He has also become the youngest player to win the men’s singles title since Novak Djokovic in 2011.

Now number 1 in US men's tennis

The 24-year-old clinched a 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory, and earned his first ATP Masters 1000 title and second ATP Tour trophy. After winning the BNP Paribas Open final, Fritz will jump from No. 20 to a career-high ranking of No. 13 and become the highest ranking American in the ATP.

Fritz started the match strong, with the Spaniard delivering second serves and having to play catch up early in the game. The American charged to a 4-0 lead in the opening set, and while Nadal kept up with his pace in the second set, the San Diego native emerged as the dominant player.

The two players went head-to-head in the tie break which resulted in some of the most riveting tennis of the game.

Other tennis stories:

An almost-missed opportunity

Fritz almost missed the game that would end up having such a great impact on his career. He hurt his ankle in his semi-final victory over Andrey Rubley, then aggravated the injury while he was warming up. But he powered through the pain, and was grateful that he was able to play in the manner that he did despite it.

This was the first time in nine outings that Fritz won against one of the “Big Three”, and it is so far the biggest win of his career.

Nadal praised the performance of his young opponent, saying that he played excellently. Though he admitted that he was experiencing some pain during the match, he gave Fritz all the credit for being a great tennis player.