ATP Finals 2022: Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Taylor Fritz preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs (8) Taylor Fritz.
Date: November 17, 2022.
Tournament: ATP Finals 2022.
Round: Round robin.
Venue: Pala Alpitour, Turin, Italy.
Category: Year-ending championships.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: $14,750,000.
Match timing: Not before 9 pm local time, 8 pm GMT, 3 pm ET and 1:30 am IST.
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports 18 & Voot.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Taylor Fritz preview
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz will clash in the group stage of the 2022 ATP Finals on Thursday.
After losing to Casper Ruud in the first match of the round-robin stage, Auger-Aliassime faced Rafael Nadal in a must-win tie. He was put under pressure right from the first game of the match but managed to save a couple of break points to hold serve.
The Canadian fought off another couple of break points in the seventh game to make it 4-3. Nadal led 40-0 on his serve in the next game, but Auger-Aliassime managed to break his serve to go 5-3 up. He then closed out the set with ease and continued the momentum in the second set as well.
Auger-Aliassime bagged an early break to lead 3-1, which essentially sealed the deal in his favor. Nadal was unable to stage a comeback as the 22-year-old went on to win 6-3, 6-4.
Taylor Fritz made a winning debut in the ATP Finals as he defeated Nadal in straight sets. He was up against Ruud in his second group tie. The American went down an early break to trail 3-0 in the first set, from which he was unable to recover, eventually losing the opener.
Fritz had an opportunity to take an early lead in the second set but squandered all three of his break point chances. With Ruud serving at 5-4, the 25-year-old found an opening as he managed to break his opponent's serve and clinch the set in the process.
The deciding set was closely contested, with both players refusing to cede any ground. Ruud led 5-1 in the ensuing tie-break, but Fritz saved a couple of match points to make it 6-6. Unfortunately, the American's resistance crumbled soon after as he was defeated 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6).
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Taylor Fritz head-to-head
Fritz leads Auger-Aliassime 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 ATP Cup in three sets.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Taylor Fritz odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Taylor Fritz prediction
The winner of this match will join Ruud in the semifinals. After starting the tournament on a losing note, Auger-Aliassime played a pretty good match to defeat Nadal. The Canadian's booming serve made things easier for him, as he smashed 15 aces while winning 81% of his first-serve points. He also saved all five break points he faced.
Fritz put up a fight but ultimately came up short against Ruud in his previous match. He notched up some impressive serving stats, quite similar to Auger-Aliassime's. The American, though, made some questionable errors off his forehand and will need to rectify that moving forward.
With big serves and groundstrokes to match, both players aren't afraid to play first-strike tennis. A spot in the semifinals on their ATP Finals debut is a big deal, so they'll be feeling the heat as well. Overall, Auger-Aliassime has been in better form over the last few weeks, giving him the edge over Fritz.
Pick: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win in three sets.