US star Taylor Fritz proved too good for defending champion Daniil Medvedev in the final of the second edition of the Diriyah Tennis Cup presented by Aramco in Riyadh on Saturday.
Fritz and Medvedev had only met on one occasion previously, when the result was reversed, but the American showed his class in the key moments of the match in front of a record crowd in Saudi Arabia to take it 7-6, 7-6.
Fritz told Arab News: “Last time we played, he won. He told me I was the better player in the first set and it’s kind of reversed this time. It was a really tough match. He was in control. He had all the chances. Every time he had a breakpoint, I played really well and always kind of came up with what I needed to. And then I played well in the tiebreakers and the big points so I was then able to steal it away from him.”
“I feel very happy whenever I win a tournament and get to hold the trophy and lift it, and all the confetti and sparklers and whatever pictures were taken. It’s always kind of a feeling like it’s one of the reasons why you want to play tennis, and why I like doing this is for that moment when it feels so great. I hope to come back to Saudi Arabia, as I did really well here and I like it here. So we’ll have to wait and see what happens next year,” Fritz said.
Neither player dropped their serve throughout the final, which went on for almost 2 hours, with Fritz showing his grit to claim nine break points and deliver when it mattered in winning both tiesbreakers — and claim the $1 million prize money.
World No. 9 Fritz added: “I’m super happy whenever I get these kinds of wins because I played the big points really well. I want to thank all the sponsors that made this event possible. It’s a really great event. The field speaks for itself, you have all the best players in the world coming here. I felt the support from the fans all week, I felt the love.
Fritz overcame tough matchups against fellow top 10 players Hubert Hurkacz and Cameron Norrie to reach the final. The 25-year-old will hope to emulate the success of Medvedev who went on to win his first Grand Slam and claim the world No. 1 ranking in the season following his win in Saudi Arabia.
Medvedev said after the game: “I think I played better today than when I played against Zverev but that’s how tennis goes. It was a great game against Taylor.”
This marked Medvedev’s first loss in Saudi Arabia after winning the inaugural edition in 2019.
“It’s a great tournament. My second time and I feel very welcome coming here and I will be happy to come back many time(s). It was a great atmosphere from the first match. Today was the biggest crowd I’ve seen here in the two years.”
“I want to (come) back and play in Saudi because the first time I came here in 2019, I did not know what to expect, but the stay was very good and really happy to come back here and looking forward to playing again in the Kingdom,” he told Arab News.
The first Diriyah Tennis Cup doubles championship was decided in a thrilling three-setter with Hurkacz and Dominic Stricker beating Andrey Rublev and Matteo Berrettini in a third set tiebreak, to win 7-6, 4-6, 10-7.
“It was a great day. It was an honor for me to play with Hubie in doubles. And of course it was great to win here,” the 20-year-old Stricker said.
It was the partners’ first visit to Saudi Arabia and Hurkacz said of the experience: “It was a lot of fun to play with Dominic and for my first time in Saudi. I was excited for the trip and lived up to it. It was really nice. The people were great and I enjoyed being here.
“I definitely enjoyed the fan support — they were really excited about seeing some good tennis. It was a great experience.”
In between the finals the crowd was treated to an exhibition match which included Saudi Arabia’s four top players — the three siblings Ammar, Saud, and Yara Alhogbani, as well as Lara Bukhari. They were joined by Saudi Arabian born Michael Mmoh, world No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, ATP player Grigor Dmitrov, and Saudi influencers Spaaiki and Abdullah came on to entertain the crowd.
Away from center court, a group of tennis legends and experts led by Judy Murray and Barbara Schett-Eagle held workshops for over 250 students and children from across Saudi Arabia.
