Wednesday July 7th, 2010- Rancho Santa Fe, CA USA- Junior Tennis player, Taylor Fritz, 12, practicing at his home."I thought he would be thirteen before he could beat me,” his father and coach said. Taylor recently beat his father in a game. (David Brooks/Union-Tribune) Mandatory Photo Credit: DAVID BROOKS/Union-Tribune/ZUMA Press (David Brooks)

Four months ago, Taylor Fritz of Rancho Santa Fe opened play at a Long Beach junior tennis tournament with a victory. And he’s been winning ever since.

The streak encompasses 43 matches and eight tournaments. Taylor, 12, already has clinched this year’s top ranking in Southern California for his age group.

The impetus for the surge was his last defeat, at a junior national tourney at Waco, Texas, in February. After a setback in the semifinals, Taylor suffered a consolation loss that led to a personal vow.


“I remember that I got really upset,” Taylor said. “I just told myself that I didn’t want to lose again.”

Taylor is gearing up for the national championships for the boys 12 age group in Little Rock, Ark., starting Aug. 7. Beyond that, with his last tournament he began transitioning to the boys 14 level for advanced competition.

Success isn’t new to Taylor, who was ranked second in Southern California at the boys 10 level in 2008. Still, his winning streak is the longest ever witnessed by his father, Guy Fritz, a renowned tennis instructor and former pro player.

“Taylor’s just concentrating and competing exceptionally well,” Fritz said. “His preparation is a lot better. It’s amazing that he’s won this many matches in a row.”


Fritz and his wife, Kathy May Fritz, also a former pro player, share the coaching duties for their son. The youngster also receives weekly tutoring from local teaching pro Woody Blocher in Poway.

Taylor, who has grown 2 inches since last summer, stands 5 feet 6 and someday may exceed his 6-6 father in height. The right-hander has been adding to the technical side of his game over the past year, including a new grip and a gradual switch to a one-hand backhand on volleys.

“I’ve changed my game, and I have a bunch of different ways to win,” said Taylor, who will enter seventh grade this fall at R. Roger Rowe School. “I can hit hard, I can keep it deep, I can come to the net. I just change it based on the style that the other person is playing and use it to my advantage.”

This year, Taylor decided to stop playing baseball and devote more springtime attention to tennis. He still plays football and basketball as a way to broaden his athletic abilities.


Taylor has been identified as a maximum five-star prospect by a tennis recruiting service for the class of 2016, which corresponds with the family’s desire for him to play college tennis. In addition, he started to receive tennis equipment this year from a manufacturer under a sponsorship program.

During a key stretch in late May, Taylor won the USTA National Open in Upland, and, with only two days’ rest, started on his way to taking another five-day event, the Quiksilver Tournament in Palm Springs.

“Before every match. I say to myself, ‘OK, keep the streak going,’ ” Taylor said. “I remember a long time ago when my streak was 14 or 16. I was like, ‘Man, if I could get a couple more, this would be amazing.’ Now I’m at 43.”

And counting.