Dallas Open 2022: Taylor Fritz vs Jack Sock preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (1) Taylor Fritz vs Jack Sock.
Date: 9 February 2022.
Tournament: Dallas Open.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Dallas, Texas, USA.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Indoor Hardcourt.
Match timing: Approx. 8.30 pm local time, 2.30 am GMT, 8 am IST
Prize money: $708,530.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Discovery+ App.
Taylor Fritz vs Jack Sock preview
Top seed Taylor Fritz will open his Dallas Open campaign against compatriot Jack Sock in an all-American second-round match on Wednesday.
24-year-old Fritz is presently enjoying the best phase of his career. Apart from a runner-up finish in St. Petersburg, he made as many as five semifinals last year, the biggest of which was at Indian Wells.
Fritz has managed to carry the momentum into the new year as well. He picked up wins over higher-ranked Felix Auger-Aliassime and Cameron Norrie in the ATP Cup and reached the second week of a Slam for the first time in his career.
In his maiden fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open, Fritz stretched World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas to five sets before bowing out.
His exploits have now catapulted him to a career-high No. 19 world ranking. After such an encouraging start to the year, the American will be keen to keep it going in Dallas.
2017 Paris Masters champion Jack Sock's career, meanwhile, has been mired in a series of injuries to his back, thumb and thigh in the last three seasons. Once the American No. 1 with a career-high world ranking of eighth, he slipped down the ladder to outside the 200s in the past couple of years.
Sock has been plying his trade mostly on the ATP Challenger circuit to find his lost confidence and make his way back into the top echelons of the sport again.
The 29-year-old has played a couple of Challenger events this year, reaching the quarterfinals in Columbus. The Dallas Open is the first ATP tour-level tournament of the season for the current 147th-ranked Sock and he will be eager to make a mark.
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He kickstarted his campaign with a smooth 6-4, 6-4 win over World No. 84 Oscar Otte on Tuesday, where he was hardly tested. Taylor Fritz will obviously present a steeper challenge in the next round.
Taylor Fritz vs Jack Sock head-to-head
Taylor Fritz and Jack Sock are tied 2-2 in the head-to-head. While Sock won their first couple of meetings at the Australian Open and US Open in 2016, Fritz triumphed in the last two at Houston and Lyon in 2018.
Taylor Fritz vs Jack Sock prediction
This is a matchup between two Americans on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their careers. While Sock is trying to work his way back to where he once was, Fritz has been achieving new career highs with every tournament.
Although Sock is the lower-ranked player in this face-off, he can still pack a punch. Against Otte in the first round, he played brilliant first-strike tennis, winning 87% of his first serve points. He likes to play all-out attack, taking big cuts at the ball with his aggressive forehand.
However, Sock also generates more spin on his forehand than Fritz, which will give his younger compatriot an edge on the fast indoor courts.
The World No. 19 has a blistering flat forehand and a better serve than Sock, which could be highly effective in these conditions. His movement, however, isn't the best and that could be tested by Sock.
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See no. 1 seed and no. 1 American Taylor Fritz and Dallas' own John Isner among so many other amazing matchups.
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That said, Sock's fitness is an issue and it remains to be seen how long he can manage to sustain the pressure on Fritz. With the younger American striking the ball confidently in recent times, he should find be able to come through with a win.
Prediction: Taylor Fritz to win in two tight sets.
Also Check Out: What is Jack Sock's Net Worth in 2022?