Australian Open 2022: Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe preview, head-to-head & prediction

Fritz (L) to take on Tiafoe in the second round of the 2022 Australian Open

Match details

Fixture: (20) Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe

Date: 20 January 2022

Tournament: Australian Open 2022

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: Melbourne, Australia

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $75,000,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Liv

Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe preview

Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will cross paths in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Fritz defeated Maximilian Marterer 7-6(8), 6-3, 6-2 in just under two hours in his first-round match on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old American was exquisite with his first serve, winning a whopping 88% of the points played on that shot.

Fritz also struck 16 aces and did not cough up any double faults. The World No. 22, who has never progressed beyond the third round of any Slam, struck the ball majestically against the German.

The 20th seed finished with a massive 48 winners while only leaking 17 unforced errors. Those numbers will hold him in good stead against Tiafoe.

Fritz and rafa practicing yesterday

🎥 IG Michael Russell https://t.co/9gO6Jrp4jS

Frances Tiafoe, meanwhile, endured a tougher time on court on Tuesday as he needed five sets to get past qualifier Marco Trungelliti. Tiafoe won 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in just under three hours to register his first win of 2022 in three attempts.

The 23-year-old put forth a wasteful performance against the Argentine, squandering eight break point chances. Tiafoe also leaked 49 unforced errors, which nearly offset the 50 winners he struck.

The match was close and could have gone either way. In the end, it was one break of serve that separated the two players.

Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe head-to-head

Taylor Fritz leads Frances Tiafoe 2-1 in the head-to-head. Tiafoe won their first encounter at Indian Wells in 2016, and Fritz exacted revenge the same year at Winston-Salem.

Their most recent encounter was at the 2019 Paris Masters, where the older American prevailed in three sets.

Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe prediction

Even though Frances Tiafoe has a better record at the Australian Open, having finished as a quarterfinalist in 2019, he enters this match as the underdog.

Taylor Fritz has been in better form this year, with his only defeat in four matches coming against Alexander Zverev. The 20th seed beat Cameron Norrie and Felix Auger-Aliassime at the ATP Cup earlier this year.

After the consistent tennis he displayed against Marterer, it would be difficult to look beyond a win for Fritz. That said, Tiafoe could certainly make things difficult for his compatriot, given that he plays some of his best tennis on the pacy courts at Melbourne Park.

Prediction: Fritz to win in four sets.

6️⃣ more Americans advance to Round 2 at the #AusOpen bringing our total to 1️⃣7️⃣

🇺🇸 Hailey Baptiste
🇺🇸 Danielle Collins
🇺🇸 Maxime Cressy
🇺🇸 Taylor Fritz
🇺🇸 Steve Johnson
🇺🇸 Frances Tiafoe https://t.co/FVTP8YHjdU

Also check out: Updated ATP Men's Tennis Rankings