"I feel embarassed not being able to finish a match" - Taylor Fritz explains reasons for pulling out of Citi Open encounter with Dan Evans, says he has been nursing a foot injury since Wimbledon

Taylor Fritz, seeded No. 3 at the 2022 Citi Open, retired midway through his Round of 16 clash against Dan Evans on Thursdsending the Brit through to the quarterfinals. Evans led 3-6, 7-6(6), 4-1 when Fritz collapsed from exhaustion due to the hot and humid conditions in Washington and had to abandon the match.

Taking to social media later, the American assured fans that he was now in good health. As he has never pulled out of a match before, priding himself on his fitness level and ability to play in extreme conditions, he wanted to force himself to see the match through to completion. Unfortunately, he couldn't, despite his best efforts.

"First off health wise, I'm okay. I feel embarassed not being able to finish a match. I've never pulled out of a match in my life but after my episode in Toronto last year where I pushed myself to finish the match and almost passed out, I assured my team I would pull out if similar symptoms happened again," Fritz said.

He also revealed that he has been facing problems with his foot since Wimbledon, adding that he was feeling better while training and was happy with the level of tennis he has played so far in the Washington DC event.

However, he did not want to push himself further and exacerbate the issue unnecessarily. Instead, the reigning Indian Wells champion wanted to get back into recovery mode and prepare himself better for the final stretch of the season.

"Typically, I pride myself on my fitness and ability to compete in very hot/ humid, brutal conditions like today. Many don't know this but I have been in a boot since Wimbledon. I started practice on court again this Saturday so playing here in DC was definitely ambitious but I'm really happy with my actual level of tennis and I'm really happy that my foot is feeling good," Fritz said.

"Now that my foot feels better can finally put in the on court work and be prepared for the rest of the year. Sorry if worried anyone," he added.

Dan Evans advances to the quaterfinals of 2022 Citi Open after Taylor Fritz retires, set to play against Yoshihito Nishioka

Dan Evans will play against Yoshihita Nishioka in the quaterfinals of 2022 Citi Open

After a walkover in the match against Taylor Fritz, Dan Evans now faces Yoshihito Nishioka in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Citi Open. The Japanese has had a dream run in Washington so far, having already defeated Jenson Brooksby, Alex de Minaur and Karen Khachanov at the event.

Both players have played against each other 4 times in their careers, out of which Nishioka has won all 4 times. All four matches have been played on outdoor hardcourt surfaces, with their most recent encounter coming at the Miami Open earlier this year. The winner of the clash is likely to take on either top seed Andrey Rublev or ninth seed Holger Rune in the semifinals.