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Fixture: (2) Taylor Fritz vs Marton Fucsovics
Tournament: Munich Open 2023
Date: Thursday, April 20
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: English Garden, Munich
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €562,815
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Taylor Fritz vs Marton Fucsovics preview
Second seed Taylor Frtiz opens his campaign at the BMW Open in Munich against Hungary's Marton Fucsovics.
World No. 10 Fritz is 23-7 on the season and is coming off his maiden Masters 1000 claycourt semifinal at Monte-Carlo last week, losing to eventual winner Andrey Rublev.
The 25-year-old American is having a strong season, winning four of his five matches in Team USA's victorious campaign at the inaugural United Cup Down Under to kickstart the year. After an early exit at the Australian Open, Fritz caught fire on the North American hardcourts.
A run to the Dallas semifinals was followed by his first title of the year at Delray Beach. Fritz then made the last four in Acapulco, losing in a third set tiebreak before making the quarterfinals at Indian Wells and Miami. Continuing his impressive growth on clay, Fritz reached the Monte-Carlo semifinals after making the quarterfinals last year. The American is making his Munich debut this week.
Meanwhile, the 75th-ranked Fucsovics improved to 8-7 on the season by beating wildcard Max Hans Rehberg in three sets in his opener in Munich. The Canberra Challenger winner made the third round at the 2023 Australian Open and the fourth at Indian Wells afterwards.
Fucsovics lost in the second round at Miami and exited in the opening round at Monte-Carlo after emerging from qualifying. The 31-year-old is 4-2 in Munich, reaching the quarterfinals in both previous appearances (2018-19).
Taylor Fritz vs Marton Fucsovics head-to-head
The pair met for the first time at Indian Wells this year, where the American beat Fucsovics in straight sets in the fourth round to register a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head. This is their first meeting on clay.
Taylor Fritz vs Marton Fucsovics odds
(All odds as per BETMGM)
Taylor Fritz vs Marton Fucsovics prediction
Both Fritz and Fucsovics are quintessential baseliners and have pretty similar gamestyles.
However, Fritz has the edge in terms of his big serves, powerful groundstrokes off either flank and better movement. Fucsovics has won more claycourt matches (38-33) than Fritz (28-25), but the American has had better recent returns.
The Hungarian has a good record in Munich, but Fritz will fancy his chances of marking his tournament debut with a win. Having beaten his opponent earlier this year, the American should continue his dominance against Fucsovics, albeit on a different surface.
Pick: Fritz in three sets
