Taylor Fritz (Getty)
The in-form Taylor Fritz locks horns with world No. 30 Denis Shapovalov in the round of 16 of the 2023 Mexican Open.
The American tennis pro is on a 5-match winning streak. He came into the tournament on the back of a triumphant campaign in the Delray Beach Open. Fritz defeated the likes of Emilio Gomez, Adrian Mannarino, Mackenzie McDonald, and Miomir Kecmanovic to win what was his 5th ATP title. With this win, Fritz moved into the top 5 of the ATP rankings.
In the round of 32, Fritz came back from a set down to defeat compatriot John Isner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The 25-year-old had a win percentage of 86 on the first serve and converted 2 out of 3 break points. As of now, Fritz has 12 wins and 3 losses in the season.
The 23-year-old had a decent start to the season as he made it to the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International 1. In the Australian Open, his campaign ended with a loss to Hubert Hurkacz in the third round.
Since that loss and before the Mexican Open, Shapovalov played in two more tournaments – Dallas Open and the Delray Beach Open, and exited in the second round in both of them. He finally got back to winning ways in the round of 32 of the Mexican Open when he defeated Miomir Kecmanovic after dropping the first set. The match ended 6-7 (4-7), 6-0, 7-5 in favor of Shapovalov.
Denis Shapovalov has had Fritz’s number in the past. The Canadian youngster leads the head-to-head scoreline 5-2. He defeated Fritz in their previous meeting in the 2022 Vienna Open 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
Prediction: Taylor Fritz to win in three sets.
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