Morgan Riddle celebrated on social media after his friend Taylor Fritz defeated Alexander Zverev at the US Open on Tuesday.
Fritz defeated Zverev in New York in a four-set victory to reach the US Open semifinals. This is the latest instalment in a tennis rivalry in which Riddle plays the leading role.
It was only after the thrilling five-set match at Wimbledon this year that Zverev expressed his displeasure about the noise coming from Fritz’s penalty area, where his girlfriend Morgan Riddle was sitting.
The intrigue was further heightened by a curious social media post from Riddle, which was interpreted by many as a reference to the 2020 domestic abuse allegations against Zverev.
Riddle, a social media influencer with 17.2 million likes on TikTok, has since deleted an Instagram video with the caption: ‘when your man wins 4 the girls.’
Morgan Riddle took to social media after his friend Taylor Fritz reached the semi-finals of the US Open
Riddle celebrated Fritz reaching the first Grand Slam semifinal of his career at the US Open
Zverev agreed to a settlement of about $240,000 with his accuser, the mother of his child, in June. However, he has never been convicted of a crime and maintains his innocence.
But on Tuesday night in New York, Riddle was more cautious. She shared a video of Arthur Ashe taking in her surroundings and wrote, alongside three nail polish emojis, “Semi finalsssss.”
Some might find the choice of emoji a bit over the top – some use the nail polish emoji to express sass or confidence, but Riddle’s use was ambiguous enough.
For Fritz, who recorded 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, it was a milestone in his career, as he reached the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Speaking on court after the win, he said: ‘I’ve watched the quarter-finals a lot over the years, but today it just felt different.
“It’s cool that I’m in the semifinals. But I really have the mentality of ‘the job isn’t done yet.'”
‘One question I was asked almost every time I lost in the quarterfinals was, “What do I need to do to move forward?” And the answer I always gave was, just keep putting myself in these situations and I’ll get more comfortable and better at it.
“That’s definitely what happened now. The quarterfinals didn’t feel like, I don’t know, this big thing for me, like it has in the past.”
Fritz was delighted with his victory, but insisted that the hard work was just beginning
Zverev, meanwhile, was furious about the state of his game after the loss in New York
Zverev, meanwhile, said he was “angry” after losing to Fritz.
“I can’t remember hitting my backhand this bad since I’ve been on tour,” he said.
‘I mean, I missed the balls that were hit in the middle of the field, with no pace.
“My forehand was okay, actually. My serve was okay. But my most reliable shot, the shot I’m most known for, the shot that normally wakes me up at 3 in the morning and that I wouldn’t miss, was definitely not there today.”