Rising American tennis star Taylor Fritz wins Adelaide tournament, climbs to 174 in the world

TAYLOR Fritz won the Junior US Open, turned professional on the tennis circuit and prevailed in back-to-back men’s tournaments – in the months before turning 18 in October.

Taylor Fritz, who has been dubbed the next big thing in US men’s tennis, won the City of Onkaparinga ATP Challenger at Happy Valley on Sunday. Picture: Stephen Laffer.

TAYLOR Fritz won the Junior US Open, turned professional on the tennis circuit and prevailed in back-to-back men’s tournaments – in the months before turning 18 in October.

It all led to the American ending last year as the world’s number one junior with a ranking of 176 on the ATP tour and some pundits dubbing him the future of US men’s tennis.

And he has started 2016 with another victory, winning the City of Onkaparinga Challenger at Happy Valley on Sunday.

But Fritz refuses to buy into the hype.

“I really don’t think too much about it,” Fritz says.

“I’m just focusing on being the best that I can be and hopefully that is good enough to match it with the best in the world one day.

“I am playing tennis for myself and I’m just focused on improving. It was really good to get that reassurance going into the new year that I could continue with the form and where I left off last year.

“A lot can change in the off-season, so it’s really good for me to win (at Happy Valley) and hopefully I won’t stay where I am ranked for long and keep moving up.”

Fritz – who has been compared to fellow heavy-hitting American Andy Roddick, the country’s last male Grand Slam champion – has tennis in his blood.

His dad Guy was a former world number 301 who now coaches in the US, while his mum Kathy was a three-time US Open quarter-finalist and world number 10.

Fritz’s parents had wanted their son to attend college for a year before turning professional amid concerns he would struggle against bigger-bodied top players and with the demanding training schedule.

But Fritz has no doubt entering the men’s ranks has been the right decision.

“After winning a few tournaments, I just felt I was there with the level of tennis I was playing was good enough.”