Indian Wells 2021: Alexander Zverev vs Taylor Fritz preview, head-to-head & prediction | BNP Paribas Open
Match details
Fixture: (3) Alexander Zverev vs (31) Taylor Fritz
Date: 15 October 2021
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open 2021
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Indian Wells, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $8,761,725
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Alexander Zverev vs Taylor Fritz preview
Alexander Zverev will cross swords with home-favorite Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Indian Wells Masters.
Zverev beat Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-3 to move into the last eight of the BNP Paribas Open for the first time in his career. Taylor Fritz, meanwhile, ousted Jannik Sinner 6-4, 6-3, to reach his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final.
Zverev has won 20 of his last 21 matches on hardcourt, with his only defeat coming against Novak Djokovic at the US Open. During this period, the German won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and also lifted the title in Cincinnati.
Zverev did not drop his serve throughout his fourth-round fixture against Monfils. The German was also quite consistent with his groundstrokes, as he racked up 19 winners while committing a meager 11 unforced errors.
Taylor Fritz, meanwhile, has hit a purple patch at Indian Wells. The American has beaten Brandon Nakashima, Matteo Berrettini, and Jannik Sinner and is yet to drop a set at the event.
The American won more than half of his service points as well as his return points against Sinner, which is a remarkable statistic. He nearly pulled off a similar feat against Matteo Berrettini in the third round (63% service points won and 48% return points won), which is impressive given the quality of the Italian's serve.
Alexander Zverev vs Taylor Fritz head-to-head
Alexander Zverev leads Taylor Fritz by a margin of 3-1 in the head-to-head. Zverev and Fritz have faced each other twice each on grass and hardcourt.
The German won both their encounters on grass, at Wimbledon in 2018 and also this year. The two have split their meetings on hardcourt, with Zverev beating Fritz at Washington in 2016 and the American triumphing at Basel in 2019.
Alexander Zverev vs Taylor Fritz prediction
Taylor Fritz has given Alexander Zverev a difficult time in most of their matches, although all of them were on fast surfaces. The courts at the BNP Paribas Open are among the slowest on tour this year, and it remains to be seen if Fritz can hit through the German's defense.
Both players are adept at playing from the baseline, but Zverev's backhand is in a league of its own and can turn the rallies in the German's favor.
Fritz has been in great touch at Indian Wells, but Zverev is arguably in the form of his life and should be able to advance to the semifinals.
Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in three sets.