BNP Paribas Open: Taylor Fritz dominates, keeps hopes alive for Indian Wells title repeat
Taylor Fritz kept his hopes alive for winning back-to-back BNP Paribas Open titles on Monday with a dominating 6-1, 6-1 win over Sebastian Baez of Argentina on Stadium Court.
Following a difficult first match versus fellow American Ben Shelton on Saturday, Fritz made Monday’s match look easy. He went up a double break in the first set before Baez won a game and then a break in the second set within the first 45 minutes.
The match lasted just an hour and 10 minutes.
Fritz, a Southern California native, will face unseeded Márton Fucsovics of Hungary in the Round of 16. Fucsovics is ranked No. 84 in the world.
Fifth-ranked Fritz, 25, has a chance to become the first American to win back-to-back Indian Wells singles titles since Michael Chang in 1997. Fritz will need four more wins to do that.
Fritz became the first American since Andre Agassi in 2001 to win Indian Wells when he went the distance last year, beating Rafael Nadal in the final. He has now won eight consecutive matches at this tournament.
“Especially after last year, it’s definitely the most special week of the year for me,” Fritz told the crowd on the court after the match. “It’s amazing getting to play in Center Court in front of the home crowd.”
Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Taylor Fritz dominates in win over Sebastian Baez
