"So nice that everyone can watch US Open at home this year" - Taylor Fritz’ girlfriend Morgan Riddle slams Disney & Spectrum over broadcasting debacle

Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle recently took a dig at Disney and Spectrum for their ongoing dispute that has left millions of cable subscribers unable to watch the US Open.

The conflict between Disney and Spectrum, which has been brewing for months, escalated on Thursday night when Disney-owned channels like ESPN, ABC, FX, and National Geographic went dark for Spectrum TV customers.

The timing could not have been worse, as it coincided with a big sports weekend. On Thursday night, Disney cut off ESPN and ESPN2, which were broadcasting a college football clash between Florida and Utah, and the US Open, featuring the second-round clash between World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and Lloyd Harris.

Riddle took to Instagram on Friday, September 1, to express her frustration with the situation by posting a picture of the blackout screen.

"So nice that everyone can watch @usopen at home this year 🙄," Riddle wrote.

Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle on Instagram

The dispute is over how much money Spectrum should pay Disney for carrying its stations. Disney reportedly gets an average of $2.2 billion per year from Spectrum under its 2019 deal.

Spectrum, which has lost 25% of its cable customers in the past five years, wants more flexibility and inclusion of ad-supported streaming services in the package.

The US Open recently released a statement on the dispute and hopes that the issue will be resolved quickly.

"We're very disappointed for our fans and viewers around the country that Spectrum and Charter could not resolve their dispute with Disney, resulting in a loss of ESPN coverage of Thursday night's matches. We're very hopeful that this dispute can be resolved as quickly as possible," the statement read.

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Taylor Fritz to face Swiss qualifier Dominic Stricker in US Open 4R

Taylor Fritz at the 2023 US Open

Ninth seed Taylor Fritz will face Swiss qualifier Dominic Stricker in the Round of 16 at the 2023 US Open.

Fritz is the highest-ranked American in the men’s draw and has been in dominant form at his home tournament. The 25-year-old has not dropped a set in his three matches, defeating Steve Johnson, Juan Pablo Varillas, and Jakub Mensik with ease.

Stricker, on the other hand, has had to battle hard to reach the last 16. The 21-year-old came through the qualifying rounds and then stunned seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a five-set thriller in the second round.

Stricker followed that up with another grueling victory over Benjamin Bonzi in five sets, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-2. He has shown remarkable resilience and courage in his debut appearance at the US Open.

This will be the first meeting between Taylor Fritz and Dominic Stricker, so there is no head-to-head record to go by. However, based on their current form and rankings, Fritz is the clear favorite to win the match.

The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face either Borna Gojo or Novak Djokovic.