This is an archive article published on January 16, 2025
It’s really the least I can do: US tennis star Taylor Fritz to donate AUS Open 1st round prize money to LA wildfire relief funds
The blazes that began Jan. 7 have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 25 people, with nearly 30 missing.
Taylor Fritz of the U.S. celebrates after defeating Cristian Garin of Chile in their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
US tennis player Taylor Fritz said he will be donating the prize money he earned after his win in the first round of the Australian Open to LA wildfire relief funds.
“I mean, I feel like it’s really the least I can do. Obviously SoCal’ has been my home forever. I still spend a lot of time in LA, but I lived in LA for quite a while. I have friends impacted; family not so much. I had some family have to evacuate. The house that my brothers grew up in burnt down. Obviously, they’re not living there anymore,” Fritz said after reaching the third round at Melbourne Park with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 victory over qualifier Cristian Garín of Chile.
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“A lot of people are affected by it. I feel like if you’re in a place to help, then you should,” he added. Fritz will next play French veteran Gael Monfils in the 4th round on Saturday.
More than a week into what could be the costliest wildfires in U.S. history, weary and anxious Los Angeles-area residents were hoping for a favorable shift in the winds expected Thursday and an end to the constant fear that their lives might be further upended.
The blazes that began Jan. 7 have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 25 people, with nearly 30 missing. The conflagrations fueled by dry Santa Ana winds have scorched at least 63 square miles (163 square kilometers) of land, forcing thousands of people from their homes, stretching firefighting efforts thin, knocking out power to tens of thousands and making the water unsafe to drink in some areas. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fires.
Taylor Fritz of the U.S. celebrates after defeating Cristian Garin of Chile in their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) 
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