"Stop, Andrey Rublev is being a sweet angel" - Taylor Fritz and girlfriend Morgan Riddle playfully argue over Russian removing cricket from court

Taylor Fritz and his girlfriend Morgan Riddle engaged in playful banter while reacting to Andrey Rublev's attempt at saving a cricket on the court.

Rublev battled Sebastian Korda in the third round of the 2024 Australian Open. The Russian maintained a stronghold over his opponent throughout the match, eventually defeating him 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-4.

Rublev was leading three games to two in the first set when he saw a stray cricket on-court and kneeled down to get it out of harm's way. In a short clip posted by Riddle on social media, the duo could be seen watching the match on television and reacting to Rublev's gesture.

While Riddle appreciated Rublev's kindheartedness, Fritz joked that he would have squished the bug.

"Just kill it dude," Taylor could be heard in the clip posted by Riddle on Instagram.

"Taylor! Stop, don't say that. He's being a sweet angel," replied Riddle.

"I would've just f**king thrown it around," Fritz continued to joke in the clip.

Screengrab from Morgan Riddle's Instagram post

While the cricket repeatedly escaped from Rublev's hands, a ballkid eventually removed it from the court. Fritz, meanwhile, also won his third-round clash, beating Fabian Marozsan to book a fourth-round spot at the Australian Open.

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Taylor Fritz to clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas in R4 of Australian Open

Taylor Fritz at the 2024 Australian Open

Taylor Fritz will lock horns with Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round of the 2024 Australian Open.

The World No. 12 began his campaign winning a 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 opening-round win against Facundo Diaz Acosta. He picked up the pace in the second round, sailing past Hugo Gaston 6-0, 6-3, 6-1. He next clashed with Fabian Marozsan in the third round, where he rallied from a set down to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Meanwhile, Tsitsipas dropped one set each against Zizou Bergs and Jordan Thompson in the first and second rounds, respectively. He will come into the match on the back of a convincing 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 victory against Luca Van Assche.

In an on-court interview, Fritz spoke about his upcoming encounter with the Greek. He recalled the 2022 edition of the Melbourne Major when his run was cut short by Tsitspas in the fourth round.

"Last time I was in the round of 16 here, I played Stef [Stefanos Tsitsipas] as well and last year, we had the one match and I wasn't able to get him, so yeah, we'll see, I'm excited for it," he said. [at 00:46]

Stefanos Tsitsipas leads the head-to-head between the two players, 3-1.