American ninth seed Taylor Fritz just let a two-set lead vanish into thin air against Francisco Cerundolo, becoming one of six top-10 seeds eliminated from the men’s draw in the first week of the US Open. What in the world happened out there? Fritz was in total control, even getting an early break in the third set, but Cerundolo pulled off a ridiculous 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 shocker to make it to the fourth round. This loss hits different for Fritz, a 2024 finalist at Flushing Meadows, especially at his home Slam where the frustration is clearly boiling over.
Fritz’s Shocking Collapse and the Italian Stallion’s Sudden Fade
Fritz could not even explain how he let that happen. His post-match reaction says it all: “I don’t even know what to say. I don’t really want to talk to anybody, see anybody. I need to get out for a couple days and then get back to work. I don’t know how I let that happen today.” You can feel that pain, right? He was bidding to be the fifth American into the fourth round, and with Jannik Sinner out and Carlos Alcaraz just back from a wrist injury, there was real excitement for a potential home winner 23 years after Andy Roddick’s triumph. That hope still lives, but man, Fritz knows he let a golden opportunity slip.
Not even an hour after Fritz’s meltdown, fifth seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy joined the casualty list, falling 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 0-6 3-6 to Belgium’s Alexander Blockx. Cobolli snatched the first set on a tie-break but completely lost his way after that, surrendering the third set to love in just 20 minutes. He admitted, “I think my energy was a little bit lower than the other days. I feel a little bit more tight and maybe more tired.” Cobolli even conceded Blockx deserved the win, saying, “Alex is very good guy outside the court. He deserve to win, and he won.” Both these guys had a chance to go deep, and both just fizzled out.
Chaos Reigns: The Seeds Are Tumbling and Zverev’s Path Is Wide Open
These weren’t even the first seismic shocks. The biggest one came early when fourth seed Novak Djokovic, eyeing an historic 25th Grand Slam title, was stunned by world number 49 Mariano Navone on opening day, losing in five sets and leaving in tears. Tenth seed Arthur Fils also went down in the first round to Stefanos Tsitsipas. The highest seed out so far is third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who lost to Karen Khachanov in round two, the same stage where sixth seed Alex de Minaur was beaten.
Now, Cerundolo and Blockx are set to clash in the fourth round, with a quarter-final spot on the line. But here’s the kicker: with Fritz and Cobolli out, the top half of the men’s draw is basically a ghost town outside of top seed Alexander Zverev. Only 14th seed Learner Tien and 17th seed Jakub Mensik remain, and guess what? They play each other next. That means Zverev could potentially cruise all the way to the final without even facing a top-10 player. Talk about a clear path! This tournament is wild and it’s just getting started.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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