Japan Open 2022: Taylor Fritz vs Nick Kyrgios preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Taylor Fritz vs (5) Nick Kyrgios.
Date: October 7, 2022.
Tournament: Japan Open 2022.
Round: Quarterfinal.
Venue: Tokyo, Japan.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $1,953,285.
Match timing: Not before 6 pm local time, 9 am GMT, 5 am ET and 2:30 pm IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports.
Taylor Fritz vs Nick Kyrgios preview
World No. 11 Taylor Fritz will lock horns with 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Japan Open on Friday.
Fritz scored a three-set win over James Duckworth in the first round to commence his challenge here. He was up against qualifier Hiroki Moriya in the second round. The Japanese veteran started the match on a strong note as he broke his younger opponent's serve in the very first game of the contest.
Fritz responded by reeling off the next six games to take the first set. It looked like this was going to be another routine match for him, but Moriya had other plans. The qualifier raised his level to clinch the second set by going on a three-game run towards the end of the set.
Fritz had multiple break points at the start of the third set, but failed to capitalize on them. He finally snagged a break of serve in the eighth game to go 5-3 up. The American then stepped up to serve for the match, but lost his serve as Moriya put up quite the resistance.
However, Fritz didn't allow the match to slip away from his grasp. He broke his opponent's serve in the next game to win 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
@Taylor_Fritz97 takes a late-night three-set tussle against home hope Moriya 6-1, 3-6, 6-4! 
Third seed 🇺🇸 @Taylor_Fritz97 takes a late-night three-set tussle against home hope Moriya 6-1, 3-6, 6-4!
He faces Kyrgios in a blockbuster last eight clash 🔜
@rakutenopen | #RakutenOpen https://t.co/VDgH66yDW4
A first-round win over Tseng Chun-hsin pitted Kyrgios against Kamil Majchrzak in the second round. The Australian fell behind 3-0 in the opening set and was unable to recover from this deficit as he went on to lose the set.
Kyrgios then had to save a break point at the start of the second set to avoid going down an early break yet again. That turned out to be a minor stumble for him as he claimed four straight games to grab the set and take the match to a decider.
Kyrgios jumped to a 3-0 lead in the final set and held on to the advantage until the end. With Majchrzak serving to stay in contention at 5-2, the Australian broke his opponent's serve for the final time to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Taylor Fritz vs Nick Kyrgios head-to-head
Fritz leads Kyrgios 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Western & Southern Open in straight sets.
Taylor Fritz vs Nick Kyrgios odds
All odds are sourced from Betway.
Taylor Fritz vs Nick Kyrgios prediction
Both were expected to win their second-round matches with ease, but were instead taken to three sets. With Fritz, it's understandable as he rushed to Japan at the last minute after recovering from COVID. He might not be at his best physically yet and is likely to face an uphill battle against the Australian.
It took a while for Kyrgios to get going against Majchrzak in the previous round, but once he found his footing he was unstoppable. He hammered 22 aces without hitting a single double fault, while dictating play from the back of the court as well. Fritz's serve was the only reason he was able to get past Moriya, as otherwise he was being outplayed in the rallies.
Their previous meeting took place just a few weeks ago in Cincinnati. Back then, Fritz played a brilliant match to oust the Australian. The outcome is likely to be in Kyrgios' favor this time around, considering his form and the American's health woes.
Pick: Nick Kyrgios to win in straight sets.