Taylor Fritz (Laver Cup - Twitter)
Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann will take on ninth seed Taylor Fritz in the second round of the Italian Open
Hanfmann has made it to the main draw of the tournament after winning two rounds of qualifiers. The 31-year-old German beat Julien Ocleppo and Hugo Grenier in the two qualifying rounds.
In his first round match of the main draw, Hanfmann defeated Chile’s Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 6-4 in comprehensive fashion to set up a second-round clash against Taylor Fritz. Things only get tougher for Hanfmann from here on but the German certainly has the grit and determination to put up a strong fight against higher-ranked opponents.
Taylor Fritz is one of the higher seeded players in the tournament and there are high expectations from him. He has received a ‘Bye’ in the first round of the competition due to his superior ranking and will directly take the court against Hanfmann. The American star has been pretty consistent so far and has won 1 title – the Delray Beach Open, besides reaching the Semi-finals and finals of a number of other tournaments.
Fritz made two semi-finals last month at the Bavarian International and the Monte Carlo Masters which is a great indication of how good his form has been. However, he’ll be worried that he is choking in the final stages and will be desperate to break that trend in Italy. If Fritz can play to his potential, he can certainly challenge for the title in Rome.
Details:
Date – Saturday, 13th May
Court Type – Clay outdoor surface
Telecast – Tennis Channel
Start Time – To be Announced
Location – Foro Italico
Match details – Round of 64 match
Hanfmann and Fritz have never played each other before on the ATP tour. This is the first professional head to head clash between the two players. On paper, Fritz is the favourite both in terms of form and rankings. However, one can certainly not rule out Hanfmann and the German star is expected to put up a tough fight. Despite that, we are predicting a comfortable win for Taylor Fritz in straight sets.
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