Morgan Riddle took to social media to celebrate after boyfriend Taylor Fritz beat Alexander Zverev in the US Open on Tuesday.
Fritz knocked Zverev out in New York with a four-set victory to reach the US Open semifinals in the latest instalment of a tennis rivalry that has seen Riddle take center stage.
It was after the five-set thriller at Wimbledon this year that Zverev expressed displeasure over the noise coming from Fritz’s box, where his girlfriend Morgan Riddle was seated.
Adding to the intrigue was a curious social media post from Riddle that many saw as a reference to 2020 domestic abuse claims against Zverev.
A social media influencer who has 17.2million likes on TikTok, Riddle has since deleted an Instagram video that included the caption: ‘when your man wins 4 the girls.’
Morgan Riddle took to social media after boyfriend Taylor Fritz made the US Open semis
Riddle celebrated Fritz making the first Grand Slam semifinal of his career at the US Open
Zverev agreed to pay around $240,000 in a June settlement with his accuser, the mother of his child, but has not been convicted of any crime and maintains his innocence.
But on Tuesday night in New York, Riddle’s approach was more careful. She shared a video from Arthur Ashe taking in the full surroundings and, alongside three nail polish emojis, wrote: ‘Semi finalsssss’.
Some may view the emoji choice as pointed – the nail polish emoji is used by some to indicate sass or self-confidence but Riddle’s use was ambiguous enough.
For Fritz, who 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, it was a landmark moment in his career as he made the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Speaking on court after the win, he said: ‘I’ve had a lot of looks at quarterfinals over the last couple of years, and today just felt different.
‘It’s cool I’m in the semis. But I very much have the mindset of “the job´s not done.”
‘A question I got asked pretty much every time I lost in my quarterfinals was, “What´s it going to take to go further?” And the answer I gave was always: Just keep putting myself in these situations, and I´ll become more comfortable in these situations and get better.
‘That’s definitely what happened now. The quarterfinals didn’t feel like, I don´t know, this big thing to me like it has been, I guess, in the past.’
Fritz was delighted with his victory but insisted the hard work was only just beginning
Zverev, meanwhile, was furious at the state of his game after the loss in New York
Zverev, meanwhile, said he felt ‘angry’ at losing to Fritz.
‘My backhand, I don´t remember, since being on tour, hitting my backhand this badly,’ he said.
‘I mean, I was missing shots which were in the middle of the court with no pace.
‘My forehand was OK, actually. My serve was OK. But my most reliable shot, the shot that I’m most known for, the shot that you normally wake me up at 3 a.m. and I would not miss, was absolutely not there today.’
