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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Taylor Fritz vs (4) Frances Tiafoe.
Date: October 9, 2022.
Tournament: Japan Open 2022.
Round: Final.
Venue: Tokyo, Japan.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $1,953,285.
Match timing: Not before 4:30 pm local time, 7:30 am GMT, 3:30 am ET and 1 pm IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports.
Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe preview
Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will square off in an all-American battle in the final of the 2022 Japan Open on Sunday.
Following a couple of three-set wins over James Duckworth and Hiroki Moriya, Fritz made it to the quarterfinals where he was up against Nick Kyrgios. The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up unfortunately had to withdraw from the tournament due to a knee injury, giving the American a walkover into the semifinals. He took on Denis Shapovalov for a place in the title round.
Fritz snagged an early break to lead 4-1 in the opening set. This proved to be more than enough for him to clinch the first set down the line. The American secured a break to go 3-2 up in the second set, but Shapovalov broke back immediately to level the score. Both remained steady on serve thereafter, leading to a tiebreak.
Shapovalov came out on top in the tiebreak to grab the set and push the match to a decider. The Canadian put himself in a comfortable position by going up an early break to lead 3-1. However, Fritz turned things around completely as he reeled off five games in a row to win the match 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3. He has now reached his third final of the year.
Frances Tiafoe defeated Yasutaka Uchiyama, Bernabe Zapata Miralles and Miomir Kecmanovic in straight sets to make the semifinals. He was up against Kwon Soon-woo for a spot in the final.
Tiafoe broke his opponent's serve twice as he raced to a 5-1 lead and captured the first set soon after that. It looked like the American was on course for another routine win at this point. However, Kwon managed to grab the second set and that too by handing out a bagel.
Both players had break point chances at the start of the third set, but were unable to make the most of them. Tiafoe then went on a four-game run to go 5-2 up. He faltered while serving for the match on his first attempt, but was able to close it out on his second try to win 6-2, 0-6, 6-4. He has now made it to his second final of the season, having lost the first final in Estoril.
Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe head-to-head
The two have faced off five times in the past. Fritz leads Tiafoe 4-1 in the head-to-head. He won their last encounter at the 2022 Canadian Open in three sets.
Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe prediction
Fritz has been pushed to three sets in all of his matches this week, but has managed to fight his way to the final. He remains undefeated in the title rounds this year, winning the Indian Wells Masters and the Eastbourne International.
Tiafoe has performed a bit better in Japan, dropping just one set in the semifinals against Kwon. He is currently gunning for his first title of the season. However, he has struggled to get the better of his compatriot for a while now, having lost four matches in a row against him.
While Fritz's forehand has been quite impressive, his serve has often helped him out in crucial moments as well. His consistent shotmaking, even when under pressure, often swings the tide in his favor. Tiafoe also seems to be playing with more confidence since his semifinal run at the US Open and has raised his level in crucial moments.
The two seem evenly matched in many ways, though Fritz seems to have Tiafoe's game figured out and is likely to clinch his third title of the year on Sunday.
Pick: Taylor Fritz to win in three tight sets.
