Fritz and Paul Triumph in National Bank Open Openers
MONTREAL, Canada – Olympic doubles bronze medalists Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul kicked off their National Bank Open campaigns with impressive singles victories on Wednesday.
Fritz, seeded ninth, dispatched Mariano Navone of Argentina 6-4, 6-1 in a dominant display. The American controlled the match from the outset, breaking Navone’s serve twice in the first set and cruising through the second.
“It was a solid match,” Fritz said. “I feel like the level, probably from both of us, went up a bit in the second set. We started playing longer points.”
Fritz will face fellow American Sebastian Korda in the second round. Korda, fresh off his second ATP Tour title in Washington, advanced when Vasek Pospisil retired due to a back injury.
Paul, seeded 10th, also secured a straight-sets victory, defeating Luciano Darderi of Italy 6-4, 7-6 (2). Paul broke Darderi’s serve in the opening game and held on to his advantage throughout the match.
“I’m happy with the way I played,” Paul said. “I served well and was able to control the points. I’m looking forward to the next round.”
Paul will face qualifier Brandon Nakashima in the second round. Nakashima, who upset Canadian wild-card Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 7-5, is coming off a strong performance in Washington, where he reached the semifinals.
Other Americans who advanced on Wednesday included Ben Shelton and Nakashima. Shelton, seeded 11th, edged doubles partner Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, while Nakashima beat Shapovalov.
Flavio Cobolli of Italy, who lost to Korda in the DC Open final on Sunday, upset 14th-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada 6-3, 6-2.
