Australian Open: Taylor Fritz survives Royer scare, reaches second round
What's the story
American star Taylor Fritz reached the second round of the 2026 Australian Open after beating Valentin Royer. Fritz evaded an early exit after losing the second set. He eventually won the men's singles opening round 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 after over three hours. Notably, Fritz has qualified for this stage at the year's first Grand Slam for the eighth successive edition.
Stats
A look at match stats
Fritz won a total of 143 points and 65 winners throughout the match. He served 24 aces compared to Royer's 19. The former had a win percentage of 82 and 53 in the first and second serves, respectively. He converted only six of his 21 break points. While both players committed 40-plus unforced errors, Royer had more double-faults (6).
Aus Open
Grand Slam numbers of Fritz
As mentioned, Fritz has reached the Australian Open second round for the eighth successive edition. His last opening-round exit was in 2017. The American star has now raced to 17 wins at the year's first Grand Slam (17-9). He lost in the third round last year. Fritz, the 2024 US Open runner-up, extended his Majors win-loss tally to 65-37.
Information
Fritz set to face Vit Kopriva
Fritz, the ninth seed, will face Vit Kopriva in the Australian Open 2026 second round. The Czech player showed remarkable resistance in his first-round clash against Jan-Lennard Struff. He won the five-setter 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.