Taylor Fritz won an inclement weather-delayed final on Monday at the Delray Beach Open, defeating fellow American Tommy Paul to successfully defend his title in Florida.
No. 1 seed Fritz beat No. 3 Paul 6-2, 6-3 to become the second player in tournament history to go back-to-back, joining Jason Stoltenberg (1996-97). Fritz has won six consecutive finals matches dating back to the start of the 2022 season.
Fritz converted three of five break-point opportunities and saved all seven break points he faced. He lost just one set over the course of eight matches during his title runs in 2023 and 2024.
Paul had momentum after winning the Dallas Open the previous week.
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China's Zhizhen Zhang made quick work of No. 7 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, winning 6-2, 6-0 in 61 minutes to advance out of the Round of 32 in Doha.
Zhang, ranked No. 48 in the world, recorded seven aces and won 76.7 percent of first-serve points (23 of 30), to 41.4 percent (12 of 29) for Musetti, ranked 26th. Zhang converted six of nine break-point opportunities, saved three of four break points and had more winners, 19-10.
In other matches featuring unseeded players, Australia's Alexei Popyrin outlasted Jordan's Abdullah Shelbayh 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Hungary's Marton Fucsovics cruised past Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1, 6-3; Russia's Pavel Kotov downed Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 6-2, 7-5; and Hungary's Fabian Marozsan edged qualifier Vit Kopriva of Czech Republic 7-5, 7-6 (6).
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