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Match Details
Fixture: (8) Taylor Fritz vs Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Date: 17 January 2023.
Tournament: Australian Open 2023.
Round: First round (Round of 128).
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize Money: A$76,500,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv.
Taylor Fritz vs Nikoloz Basilashvili preview
Taylor Fritz and Nikoloz Basilashvili are set to clash in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open on Tuesday.
Fritz took his career to the next level last year. He clinched the Indian Wells Masters by defeating Rafael Nadal in the final, snapping his 20-match winning streak. He also won another couple of titles. He reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon, but lost to Nadal in a five-set thriller.
Fritz also made it to the semifinals of the ATP Finals and finished the year ranked in the top 10 for the first time. He kicked off 2023 by participating in the United Cup. He won against Alexander Zverev and Jiri Lehecka in the group stage, but lost his tie against Cameron Norrie in the city finals. Still, the US made it to the last four.
Fritz then defeated Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals and Matteo Berrettini in the final to help the Americans win the tournament. He'll now be aiming to make it past the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time.
Basilashvili endured a tough time in 2022, ending the season with a 14-29 win-loss record. The highlight of his year was a runner-up finish at the Qatar Open. He started the new season by competing at the Tata Open Maharashtra, but lost to Marco Cecchinato in the first round.
Basilashvili then competed in the Adelaide International 2, but had to retire midway through the first round of his qualifying match. A couple of third-round appearances have been his best results in Melbourne so far.
Taylor Fritz vs Nikoloz Basilashvili head-to-head
The two have split their previous four meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 2-2. Basilashvili won their last encounter at the 2021 Indian Wells Masters in straight sets.
Taylor Fritz vs Nikoloz Basilashvili odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Taylor Fritz vs Nikoloz Basilashvili prediction
Their careers have progressed in opposite directions for a while now. While Fritz has been on an upward trajectory, Basilashvili has regressed by a fair bit. The American performed solidly in the United Cup and his sole loss against Norrie was a close one as well.
In his first loss of the season, Basilashvili struggled to counter Cecchinato's serve. The Italian isn't a big server as such, so it was a rather poor performance on his part. He couldn't even finish his most recent match due to an injury and that could play a part in his upcoming encounter against Fritz.
Basilashivli's powerful groundstrokes are only matched by his inconsistency and lack of a back-up plan. Fritz, on the other hand, is tactically adept and won't have any trouble going toe-to-toe from the baseline. His serve should further tilt things in his favor. Based on their recent form, the American should progress to the next round with ease.
Pick: Taylor Fritz to win in straight sets.
