Remember last year’s US Open final? At Arthur Ashe Stadium, Taylor Fritz wasn’t even the most famous Taylor in the building; pop icon Taylor Swift stole the spotlight as she graced the crowd on the Grand Slam’s final day. While Fritz battled Jannik Sinner in what became the pinnacle of his season, the headlines leaned toward Swift’s presence. Fast forward to this year’s Canadian Open, and the Taylor confusion took a wild turn. In the heat of a thrilling match, a commentator’s blunder turned heads just minutes in, mistakenly swapping Fritz’s name, sparking buzz and deja vu from last year’s name-game drama.

At the National Bank Open, Taylor Fritz geared up to battle Canada’s own Gabriel Diallo, but before a single serve was struck, the spotlight swerved unexpectedly. 

As the camera zoomed in on the American star, the commentator slipped, “And Taylor Swift out on court. Taylor Swift? That’s a good start isn’t it? Ah dear Taylor Fritz.” One wild name-drop, and just like that, the match had its first headline moment before the first point.

On the court, Taylor Fritz made sure there was no encore of Wimbledon’s nerve-shredding five-set drama. Exactly 30 days after their grass-court epic, Fritz faced Gabriel Diallo once again, this time under the hard-court lights of the National Bank Open in Toronto, and shut the door on any upset. With a clinical 6-4, 6-2 victory, the American star moved through with authority.

Seeded second, Fritz, who recently talked about why he played at the Citi DC Open, showed why he’s earned that number, dismissing the last Canadian standing with ruthless precision. The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, he now stands at an impressive 34-13 on the season, backed by recent title runs in Stuttgart and Eastbourne. His mission this fortnight? Complete the career set of quarter-finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 events.

Diallo, meanwhile, has been climbing fast, breaking into the Top 40 after jumping nearly 50 spots this year. As the 27th seed, he gave Canadian fans something to cheer about, reaching the third round after being the only homegrown man to survive the opening round.

With momentum building, Fritz now marches into the Canadian Open R16, eyes locked, mission intact!

Taylor Fritz shared his thoughts after reaching the R16

Taylor, still fresh from his semifinal heartbreak at Wimbledon against Carlos Alcaraz, returned to business with deadly intent in Toronto. The 27-year-old American powerhouse wasted no time asserting dominance, breaking the 6’8” Gabriel Diallo to love in the very first game. But the real magic came in the second set, down 0/40 at 1-1, Fritz dug deep to snatch a break and never looked back.

Fritz dictated the tempo in forehand-to-forehand exchanges, keeping the towering Canadian on the back foot. He wrapped up the match in just 75 minutes, showing signs of his best self. Eyeing a second ATP Masters 1000 crown, his first since that dream week at Indian Wells in 2022, Fritz looked far sharper than in his opening-round win.

“Even in practice, I’ve had such a hard time just literally putting the ball in the court,” he admitted earlier this week, but on Friday, he flipped the script. Against Diallo, he dropped just three points behind his first serve, winning 23 of 26, an ironclad performance.

“I thought it was really important to not let him get back in. [If] he gets a break back, he gets fired up with the crowd, momentum kind of shifts,” Fritz explained. “Even the games that I didn’t serve my best in, I felt like I backed it up really well from the baseline, so I’m happy with that.”

Now, standing in his way is 19th seed Jiri Lehecka. The Czech challenger booked his ticket with a gritty win over Arthur Fils, rallying 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. However, Fritz holds a 3-0 edge in their H2H, making him the clear favorite on paper.

With New York calling and a Master’s title in sight, can Taylor Fritz step past Lehecka and keep the fire burning? Sunday holds the answer.