Taylor Fritz's girlfriend falls short in attempt to follow through with 'disgusting' bet
Morgan Riddle's comment backfired in a big way after her boyfriend took down Stefanos Tsistipas at the Australian Open.
Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle may not have eaten the whole jar of Vegemite, but at least she gave it a go. Fritz's stunning win over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open on Sunday had some unwanted consequences for Riddle, after the American advanced to the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for the first time in his career with a 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 6-3 6-3.
The World No.12 took down the World No.7 in three hours on John Cain Arena to reach his third quarter-final at grand slam level. The 26-year-old was full of confidence heading into the match and reminding his box afterwards by saying: "I told you".
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When asked in his on-court interview what he had said to his entourage, Fritz revealed that he'd told them before the match he knew he would win. The American revealed that Riddle had told him he was being too confident, so he made a bet with his girlfriend.
If he beat Tsitsipas she would have to eat a whole jar of Vegemite on Instagram live. It just so happened that someone had a jar of the Aussie delicacy on hand for Fritz, who told Riddle: "A bet is a bet."
Morgan Riddle said she would eat a jar of Vegemite if Fritz won his match against Tsitsipas
Fritz just had some Vegemite hand delivered to him so she can fulfil that promise 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/m2gMxsZezC— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) January 21, 2024
But the tennis WAG didn't like the size of the one he was holding and gestured that she'd prefer the smaller jar that Vegemite tends to come in. “I won’t be partaking but I’ll make sure it happens," Fritz said, revealing he'd tried Vegemite before and "wasn't the biggest fan".
On Monday afternoon, Riddle attempted to follow through with the bet. She tried one spoonful before appearing to want to throw up, labelling the spread "disgusting". She clearly didn't know it's best eaten as a thin smearing on some toast with butter. (WARNING: Following video contains NSFW language).
a woman of her word! pic.twitter.com/IrYFUGEq3p
— s :) ⛳️ (@slaylorfritz) January 22, 2024
Novak Djokovic holds no fear for Taylor Fritz
Fritz will now take on World No.1 Novak Djokovic in the quarters, and is once again brimming with confidence. He pushed the 10-time champion to five sets when they met in the third round at Melbourne Park in 2021.
The American has lost all eight of his previous matches on the ATP Tour against Djokovic. Not that he's worried.
"A lot of these match-ups were when I was a bit younger," he said. "Since then I'm improved and (have) become a better player. The times I've played him since I haven't really brought my best level, and you need to if you're going to compete with someone like Novak. I feel confident. If I'm able to play like I did (against Tsitispas) then I'm a chance."
Alex de Minaur bows out as Djokovic and Sinner progress
Djokovic had earlier stormed into the quarters with an absolute thrashing of 20th seed Adrian Mannarino. The World No.1 was forced to play in the day at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2021, but it didn't affect him one bit as he won 6-0 6-0 6-3.
Australia's World No.10 Alex de Minaur, who had been handed prime time billing in Djokovic's preferred night-time slot on Rod Laver Arena, vindicated the call in a thrilling five-set battle with Andrey Rublev. But the Aussie star couldn't prevail, with Rublev coming back to win 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-0.
Rublev will now face Jannik Sinner in the final eight, with the red-hot Italian demolishing Russian 15th seed Karen Khachanov 6-4 7-5 6-3. Sinner hasn't dropped a set all tournament and is riding a seven-match winning streak, while Rublev has won eight on the trot.
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