Taylor Fritz Makes Honest Crowd Admission After Taking Out Last Canadian Hope: “Dealt With a Lot Worse”

Remember the last time Taylor Fritz and Gabriel Diallo clashed? It was at Wimbledon: a five-set grass-court war where Fritz left everything on the line, carving his legacy on neutral ground in London. But this time, the battleground shifted. Under the bright lights of Toronto at the National Bank Open, the second-seeded American faced the hometown hero once more. With the crowd roaring for their last remaining hope, Fritz held firm and silenced the noise. And after the win, Taylor Fritz makes an honest crowd admission after taking out the last Canadian hope, owning the moment with raw, unfiltered truth.

Canada’s rising star Gabriel Diallo was hunting the biggest win of his young career Friday night at the National Bank Open. But the dream came to a halt at the hands of a determined Taylor Fritz. The world No. 4 made no mistake under the lights of Sobey’s Stadium, dispatching the final Canadian standing with a commanding 6-4, 6-2 victory in the third round. Diallo, the 23-year-old Montrealer, carried the hopes of a home crowd, but Fritz proved far too sharp.

Now boasting a 34-13 season record, the American continues to climb higher. With titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne already under his belt, Fritz is gunning to complete the full set of quarterfinal appearances across all nine ATP Masters 1000 events. And after a frustrating end to his Citi Open run just days ago, this latest win in Toronto brought more than just progress; it brought relief, rhythm, and hunger.

Speaking after the match, Fritz gave credit where it was due, not just to his own performance but to the atmosphere surrounding him. “I thought the crowd was (very) nice for me playing the last player in the tournament from Canada,” he admitted. “I thought it was going to be a little bit more hostile.” He added with a smile, “But I guess everyone is just so nice. I’ve dealt with a lot worse.”

Meanwhile, Diallo didn’t hide his disappointment. “I feel like I let a lot of people down today,” he said, his voice heavy. “Kind of let him bully me around the court a lot today, and it’s not a good feeling. I think it’s disappointing that we didn’t have a guy perform a little bit deeper in the event.”

The other seeded Canadians, Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime (Rank 21st) and Richmond Hill’s Denis Shapovalov (Rank 22nd), both suffered first-round exits earlier in the week.

And with that, the Canadian chapter of Fritz’s campaign closes, and his focus sharpens on the next challenge. Eyes locked on the R16 and beyond, Fritz is hunting his second Masters title with purpose. After heartbreak in D.C., Toronto might just be where he reignites the fire.

Taylor Fritz opens up about his win against Diallo

Gabriel Diallo stepped onto his home soil in Toronto, hoping to bring the fire, but it was Taylor Fritz who lit up the stage. Seeded No. 27 and ranked No. 36, the towering Canadian faltered from the very start. Double faults, scattered unforced errors, and a service game broken to love spelled early trouble. Meanwhile, Fritz, 6-foot-5 and laser-focused, was firing serves over 215 km/h, locking into a rhythm fast. Diallo had his moments, saving break points and delivering aces in the fifth game, but he was trailing, trying to hang on in a match that refused to wait.

The American, ranked World No. 4, faced just one break point in the entire first set, and erased it. Diallo, on the other hand, was unraveling with 16 unforced errors, his shots repeatedly clinging to the net tape like static. Fritz, clinical and unbothered, used his dominant first serve to take the opener with authority. Diallo briefly found hope at the start of the second, going up 1-0. But just as quickly, he was broken to love again. The match was moving on with him in the rearview.

The crowd, loud and loyal, rallied behind their hometown hero. Down 4-2, Diallo was scrapping, clawing, doing all he could to stay alive. But the same errors that haunted him earlier returned — misfires, tape-kisses, and missed opportunities. Fritz? He was locked in. One more break, and the door slammed shut. Unlike their last encounter, a five-set Wimbledon war, this one wrapped up in a tidy 75 minutes. Fritz had silenced the stadium.

“Even in practice, I’ve had such a hard time just literally putting the ball in the court,” Fritz admitted post-match. “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. I felt like a lot could have changed if I let up on a service game,” he said. “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, the American sets his sights on Czech No. 19 seed Jiri Lehecka. With a 3-0 head-to-head edge, Fritz will look to keep his clean sheet intact. Another quick win on the cards? Only time will tell.