Coming off a mixed bag of an Asian swing, Taylor Fritz is ready for his next challenge. After finishing runner-up at the Tokyo Open, he faced an early exit in Shanghai, sparking a few concerns about his form. But the American isn’t one to back down. He’s already back on court for the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, taking down his first opponent, Alexander Zverev. The real test now stands ahead, Carlos Alcaraz.

On Wednesday, the exhibition opened with quarterfinal action between Fritz and Zverev. It was their third meeting of the season, though in an unofficial tournament this time. Fritz still leads their head-to-head 9-5. He dominated the German in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, to book a semifinal clash with the World No.1.

How does he feel about it? Speaking in his post-match interview, Taylor Fritz kept expectations measured. He said,“It’s very physical, it’s tough. I know I have to be playing my absolute best with Carlos, and yeah, he makes you fight really hard just to keep up with the level that he’s playing.” That’s pure honesty.

The two have faced off three times this year, including their memorable Wimbledon semifinal. The Spaniard leads their head-to-head 4-1, but Fritz has shown signs of progress, beating Alcaraz at the Laver Cup to help Team World clinch the title. This next battle won’t be easy, though. They last met at the Japan Open final, and despite an ankle injury, the World No.1 sealed the title in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

But returning to the court at the Six Kings Slam, Taylor Fritz looked sharp as ever. He blasted eight aces and made his first serve count. Even under pressure, he stayed solid, saving all three break points in his only tough service game. On the other side of the net, Alexander Zverev struggled to find rhythm after his early Shanghai exit. Despite serving at 82%, he couldn’t capitalize and faced four break points, losing his serve once per set to bow out early in Riyadh.

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Fritz came out firing. He broke Zverev’s serve in the second game and followed it up with a confident hold to go 3-0. By 4-1, he was cruising, surviving a small scare in the fifth game where he denied all three break points. The American then stepped up to serve for the set at 5-3 and finished it in style, holding at love with a booming smash winner. In set two, the World No.4 didn’t let up. He held his serve comfortably five times, keeping constant pressure on Zverev. Four powerful holds later, he sealed the win with an ace at 5-4 and booked his spot in the semifinals. As he put it, facing Carlos Alcaraz next is a whole other challenge.

But with a $6 million prize pot tempting every swing of the racket, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Only time will tell. However, Fritz is quite clear on his stance on his exhibition.

Taylor Fritz speaks his mind on the Six Kings Slam prize pot

Last year saw Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic battle it out for the crown. With the Italian as the champion then, it set the stage for an exciting second edition of the exhibition in Riyadh. But this time, there’s a new name in the mix, Fritz! The American didn’t hide the reason he signed up for the Six Kings Slam. The $6 million prize? A major attraction.

Speaking to Tennis365, Fritz explained why he’s all in for Riyadh. “I’d love for them to show me a tournament where you can go play three matches — well, for the top two seeds, two matches — and potentially make $6 million. I’d love to hear that from them,” he said, grinning. To him, it’s smart business mixed with passion. “I think this is a great event. Like the Laver Cup, when you have the best players in the world playing against each other, it’s great.” The message is clear, when competition meets opportunity, count him in.

He also knows the grind. “The unfortunate thing is the schedule is already extremely packed as it is. So you have to choose between these things that are very enjoyable to do and load it on to how packed the tour already is,” he admitted. Still, Fritz takes it all in stride. The balance might be tricky, but he’s not complaining about the perks.

That has been the talk of the town lately: the prize money! Compared to Grand Slams and Masters events, the reward is higher, despite the lack of points on the official tour.

Now, all that’s left? The action. Sinner faces Djokovic, while Fritz takes on Alcaraz in the semis. A rematch between the American No.1 and the World No.1. Can Taylor pull off another win over Carlos and inch closer to that $6 million prize?