Taylor Fritz Upsets Rafael Nadal to Win 2022 Indian Wells Men's Final

Rafael Nadal has lost for the first time in 2022.

Taylor Fritz defeated Nadal in straight sets in Sunday's men's singles championship match at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, 6-3, 7-6(5). The 20th-seeded American is now 1-1 against the fourth-seeded Spaniard after losing to him in straight sets in Acapulco in 2020.

Given that brief history and the overall stature of both, Fritz figured to have his hands full in this match.

After all, Nadal is an all-time legend who was previously undefeated this year. While he won a tournament in Acapulco and a tournament in Melbourne, it was his victory at the Australian Open that stood out. He defeated Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling five-set comeback in the final to clinch his record 21st Grand Slam championship.

He moved one ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the most major titles in men's singles history. By comparison, Fritz advanced to a Masters 1000 championship for the first time in his career with this tournament.

"I made the semis once, so once I do things once, I feel like I can do it again," Fritz said after his semifinal win over Andrey Rublev, per Shad Powers of the Palm Springs Desert Sun. "But kind of proving my point that once, for me, when I'm able to accomplish something I feel like it makes it a lot easier to kind of repeat the process. So hopefully I can kind of keep doing that throughout the year regardless of the result tomorrow."

He certainly kept doing that out of the gates Sunday.

Fritz not only won the first set, but he did so in rather dominant fashion with three breaks in five of Nadal's service games. The 24-year-old also won every one of his own service points in his first two service games and allowed a single break-point opportunity for his legendary foe in the opening set.

That wasn't the only concern for Nadal.

Tennis insider Jose Morgado reported the 21-time major winner left the court following the first set for a medical timeout because his chest was bothering him like it did in his semifinal win over Carlos Alcaraz.

Nadal fought through it and earned a break early in the second set, but Fritz broke right back and seized the momentum.

That put the pressure back on Nadal facing a 5-4 deficit and a 6-5 deficit with the match on the line. He responded each time and forced a tiebreak, but Fritz emerged with a win over a legend.

His ability to save eight of the 10 break points Nadal created throughout the match proved key, as it would have been easy to fold and allow the 21-time Grand Slam winner to take over down the stretch.

Instead, Fritz is the BNP Paribas Open champion.