Playing in his fourth final of the season, Taylor Fritz won his first 2026 title with a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory over Rafael Jodar in the final of the Mubadala DC Open on Monday afternoon. Fritz triumphed after one hour 49 minutes in a showdown that was delayed from Sunday because of rain.
The 28-year-old American had previously finished runner-up in Dallas, Stuttgart, and Halle. It is Fritz’s 11th title overall and his first in more than 13 months, having last gotten the job done at the 2025 Eastbourne event.
“I’ve given this speech a lot of times recently, but not as the winner — so it’s really nice to actually mean it a little bit more,” Fritz said while thanking his team. “I always feel really happy to be here, win or lose. It’s always an enjoyable week here. For everyone coming out here on a Monday afternoon (for a) final that wasn’t scheduled originally, it’s amazing to have this kind of atmosphere.”
Jodar was playing in his second ATP final after lifting the Marrakech trophy in the spring. It was a borderline home event for the 19-year-old, who played his one season of college tennis at Virginia.
“I really felt like at home playing this tournament so close from the university that I was at last year,” Jodar commented. “Thank you to all the people who came to support me from UVA…. It’s one of the best tournaments [we] have on the tour, so I’m really glad that I got a chance to play here for the first time.”
Jodar climbs into the top 15 for the first time in his career, while Fritz moves up from No. 10 to No. 9 — passing Ben Shelton as the top-ranked American.
nice one, Fritz
Expected result, a good confidence boost for Fritz.