Davis Cup Qualifiers 2022: Taylor Fritz vs Alejandro Gonzalez preview, head-to-head and prediction
Match Details
Fixture: Taylor Fritz (USA) vs Alejandro Gonzalez (COL)
Tournament: Davis Cup
Date: 4 March 2022
Round: Qualifying Round
Venue: Reno, Nevada, United States
Surface: Indoor Hardcourt
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Colombia - Win Sports
Taylor Fritz vs Alejandro Gonzalez preview
United States' Taylor Fritz will take on Colombia's Alejandro Gonzalez in the qualifying round of the Davis Cup on Friday.
Fritz has made a good start to the year. He won two of his three ATP Cup ties and made the fourth round of the Australian Open, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets.
In his 22nd Grand Slam main draw, Taylor Fritz reaches the fourth round for first time, beating #15 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-0, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Fritz returned especially well, breaking RBA 10 times in 22 return games.
Fritz next faces winner of Paire-Tsitsipas.
#AusOpen
Fritz then reached the quarterfinals of the Dallas Open. The 24-year-old's string of strong performances helped him break into the top 20 of the ATP rankings, peaking at No. 16.
The American made his Davis Cup debut in 2019 and has compiled a 2-1 record at the tournament.
Alejandro Gonzalez, meanwhile, achieved a career-high ranking of No. 70 in 2014. His most recent main-draw appearance on the ATP tour came at the Canadian Open in 2016. Since then, the 33-year-old has competed at the Challenger and ITF level only.
Gonzalez hasn't had much success at the lower levels either. A quarter-final appearance at the 2020 Morelos Open, an ATP Challenger event, is his best result in the past three years.
Representing Colombia, Gonzalez has a win-loss record of 7-6 in the Davis Cup.
Taylor Fritz vs Alejandro Gonzalez head-to-head
This will be the first encounter between Fritz and Gonzalez, so the head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0. However, they competed against each other in the qualifying rounds of Wimbledon in 2017, with Fritz winning that match in straight sets.
Taylor Fritz vs Alejandro Gonzalez prediction
The contest is heavily tilted in Fritz's favor. Even when Gonzalez competed on the ATP tour, he couldn't trouble the top players too often. His scalp of Fabio Fognini in the first round of the 2015 Australian Open remains the biggest win of the Colombian's career. It was also his only victory over a top-20 player.
Taylor Fritz (in red) and Jack Sock (in blue) now hitting. Fritz is ranked 20th in ATP rankings and Sock will play doubles this weekend. https://t.co/4a94qnY7EP
With his strong serve and powerful groundstrokes, Fritz will look to bully the Colombian from the back of the court.
Gonzalez might put up a fight for a while, but with the form that the American is currently in, he should be able to come through unscathed.
Prediction: Taylor Fritz to win in straight sets.