Washington: Top seed Taylor Fritz advanced to the last 16 at the ATP/WTA DC Open on Wednesday, while Russian eighth seed Daniil Medvedev overcame an early challenge to reach the third round. World number four Fritz, participating in his first match since his semi-final exit at Wimbledon to Carlos Alcaraz, defeated Australia's Aleksandar Vukic 6-3, 6-2 in just 59 minutes.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Fritz's performance was marked by a powerful service game and a series of impressive backhands, accumulating 28 winners. This victory sets up a last 16 encounter with Italy's Matteo Arnaldi. Fritz commented on his performance to The Tennis Channel, highlighting his backhand as a standout shot during the match.
Fritz maintained control against world number 105 Vukic, securing an early 3-0 lead and subsequently closing out the first set. The second set mirrored his dominance, with Fritz taking a 4-0 lead before sealing the win.
Earlier in the tournament, Daniil Medvedev faced a challenging match against big-serving Reilly Opelka of the US. Medvedev secured a 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory after capitalizing on Opelka's inconsistent serve in the final set. Medvedev expressed satisfaction with his improving performance throughout the match and is set to play China's Wu Yibing in the last 16 on Thursday.