“It would be really tough for me not to [win a major],” Taylor Fritz said.
Richard PagliaroSeptember 1, 20262 minute read
By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Photo credit: Simon Bruty/USTA
Top American men convened for celebration and Honey Deuces in New York six weeks ago.
This month, a thirsty group of U.S. men take aim at ending a major drought with championship coronation.
Six American men are seeded at this US Open—most of any nation—and today Taylor Fritz joined five seeded friends reaching the US Open second round.
Fritz flew past American wild card Darwin Blanch 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to roll into the Flushing Meadows second round for the eighth time in 11 appearances.
The ninth-seeded Fritz fired 14 aces against 1 double fault and dropped only 5 points on first serve (91 percent) in a routine 100-minute win.
The 2024 finalist Fritz is one of a pack of Americans aiming to master a maiden major and give the USA its first men’s major singles champion since Andy Roddick back in 2003.
Fritz said mastering a major is a top priority at this point in his career.
“I would, I mean, it’s super important for me. I’d be I think pretty disappointed in the end of it if I wasn’t able to achieve that,” Fritz told the media. “I think in my life, any time I have set a big goal for myself, I’ve always done it. It would be really tough for me not to.”
American friends and Davis Cup teammates came together to celebrate Tommy Paul’s posh wedding to Paige Lorenze at Old Westbury Gardens on Long Island, NY on July 14th.
Fritz, who was married from 2016-2019, said Paul’s wedding reinforced the friendships top Americans have built over the years.
“I don’t think the wedding made me come to a realization, like, Wow, these are, I love these guys so much.
I think we’ve already all kind of known that,” Fritz said. “We’re super-close friends. It’s just a good time when all of us get to spend time together, not in a tennis environment, which also is kind of rare.
“Yeah, it’s great to just be around these guys I’ve known for, I mean, close to 15 years, you know, (smiling). We’re all really close, and yeah, I’d consider a lot of those guys like my absolute closest friends.”
Next up for Fritz is Italian Mattia Bellucci in round two.
