After a long delay due to rain and difficult conditions, third seed Taylor Fritz managed to lift the championship trophy at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The American defeated the brilliant young Spaniard Rafael Jodar in straight sets, 7-6 (2), 6-4. This extremely grueling match lasted exactly one hour and 50 minutes.
First Set: A Serving Battle with No Breaks and Fritz’s Tiebreak Dominance
The first set, which lasted 52 minutes, brought a real serving battle with no breaks of serve. The players had to save their serves right at the beginning. In the second game of the match, facing a 30-40 deficit, Jodar successfully saved a break point. In the very next game, Fritz found himself in an identical situation at 30-40 on his serve, but he also fended off the break point.
From that moment on, both confidently held their serves until the score reached 6-6. Fritz shifted into a higher gear in the tiebreak and was absolutely dominant, winning it 7-2. The key moment was when Jodar lost points on his serve twice during the tiebreak, first at 2-1, and then at 5-2.
Second Set: A Break Fest and Unreal Drama in the Final Game
Unlike the first set, the second set, which lasted 58 minutes, provided far more opportunities on the return. Fritz broke serve right at the start in an incredibly exhausting first game that went to multiple deuces. The American kept up the pressure and doubled his advantage with another break in the third game for a commanding 3-0 lead.
When the match seemed over, the young Spaniard refused to surrender and immediately broke back in the fourth game, reducing the deficit to 3-1 and bringing uncertainty back into the match.
True cinematic drama was seen in the tenth game when Fritz served for the title at 5-4. Jodar showed an incredible mindset by saving four match points in that game. At 40-A, the Spaniard even had a break point that would have completely leveled the match, but Fritz escaped, forced another deuce, and finally, on his fifth match point (A-40), managed to close out the game and win the tournament.
Key Match Statistics
- Aces and Double Faults: Fritz recorded 6 aces in the match compared to Jodar’s 5. Interestingly, both players hit exactly 3 double faults.
- First Serve Percentage: Jodar had a slightly better first serve percentage (67% compared to Fritz’s 62%).
- First Serve Dominance: The deciding factor was the performance on first serve points – Fritz won a fantastic 81% of those points (39/48), while Jodar managed 67% (33/49).
- Break Point Conversion: Fritz converted 2 of his 3 break point opportunities, while Jodar was successful on 1 of his 3 break chances. Both saved break points as well (Fritz saved 2/3, Jodar saved 1/3).
- Total Points: The American dictated the pace of the match and controlled the rallies, which is clearly shown by the total points won – Fritz won 83 points (55%), and Jodar stopped at 68 points won (45%).
As a reminder, before this tennis thriller, the organizers had a real nightmare due to weather conditions and schedule changes. Read about what happened hours before the players stepped onto the court in our report on the severe storms and the delay of the final.
