Fritz’s Washington high ends with a thud in Montreal
Just 48 hours after lifting the Washington title, Taylor Fritz crashed out of the National Bank Open in his opening match, the No 7 seed beaten 7-5, 6-3 by Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante.
Taylor Fritz, 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Just 48 hours after lifting the trophy in Washington, Taylor Fritz was dumped out of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. The American No 7 seed, and world No 9, was beaten 7-5, 6-3 by Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante on Wednesday evening, falling at the first hurdle in Montreal.
It was a chastening comedown for Fritz, who had won the first title of his 2026 season in Washington on Monday — a rain-delayed final that stretched his week to the limit.
Handed a first-round bye here, he never found his rhythm in his opener, and the American was reported to be struggling with foot pain as Tirante grew in confidence, breaking decisively in both sets to close out the biggest kind of win.
For Tirante, ranked No 64, it was a career highlight. The 24-year-old has now beaten both of America’s leading men in 2026 — adding Fritz to an earlier victory over Ben Shelton — and claimed his third career top-10 win, his second of the season. It also earned him a first Masters 1000 third round on hard courts, a notable step for a player whose best tennis has traditionally come on clay.
The result continues a brutal week for the seeds in Montreal. Fritz follows No 6 seed Flavio Cobolli and No 10 seed Andrey Rublev out of the draw, the upsets piling up in the Canadian city.
Tirante, who had to battle past home wild card Duncan Chan (6-3, 1-6, 7-6(3)) in the opening round, now waits to learn his next opponent: he will face the winner of the match between No 32 seed Raphael Collignon of Belgium and Australia’s Alexei Popyrin.
