St. Petersburg Open 2021: Taylor Fritz vs Jan-Lennard Struff preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (5) Taylor Fritz vs Jan-Lennard Struff

Date: 30 October 2021

Tournament: St. Petersburg Open 2021

Round: Semifinal

Venue: St. Petersburg, Russia

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: $863,705

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Taylor Fritz vs Jan-Lennard Struff preview

Fifth seed Taylor Fritz and Jan-Lennard Struff will face off in an exciting semifinal clash at the St. Petersburg Open on Saturday.

Fritz advanced to the last four with a straightforward win over Australia's John Millman. The American went down an early break, but fought back and raised his level to take the opener 6-4. He then pulled away in the second set to maintain his perfect record against Millman.

The American is now into his second straight semifinal, having also reached the same stage at Indian Wells.

Jan-Lennard Struff beat Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinals.

Struff, meanwhile, has hit a rich vein of form in St. Petersburg. The German took down seventh seed Alexander Bublik in the last-16 and followed it up by dismantling second seed Denis Shapovalov in straight sets.

He will be keen to carry the momentum into the semifinals against Fritz.

Taylor Fritz vs Jan-Lennard Struff head-to-head

Jan-Lennard Struff leads Taylor Fritz in their current head-to-head by a 1-0 margin. The German beat the American in four sets at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.

Taylor Fritz vs Jan-Lennard Struff prediction

Fritz reached the last four at the BNP Paribas Open.

Both players have massive serves, meaning this contest could well turn into an ace fest. Jan-Lennard Struff, on his part, will need to raise his first-serve percentage from the lowly 48% that he managed against Denis Shapovalov.

The German's first serve is the biggest weapon in his arsenal and he will need that shot to fire against Fritz in the semifinals.

Fritz has also been solid in the serving department; he has dropped his serve only thrice in three matches this week. The American possesses a power-packed game and will look to dictate play from the back of the court.

Struff is also a hard-hitter, but he could find himself being overpowered in the longer baseline exchanges. The German will need to keep the scoreboard pressure on and hope for Fritz to cough up some cheap errors. But if the American can maintain a steady level, he should be able to come through.

Prediction: Taylor Fritz to win in three sets