Madrid Open 2024: Taylor Fritz vs Francisco Cerundolo preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (12) Taylor Fritz vs (21) Francisco Cerundolo
Date: May 1, 2024
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: La Caja Majica, Madrid, Spain
Category: Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN3/5
Taylor Fritz vs Francisco Cerundolo preview
Taylor Fritz and Francisco Cerundolo are set to clash in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Madrid Open on Wednesday.
Fritz knocked out Luciano Darderi and Sebastian Baez in straight sets to book a fourth-round date with eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz. Neither player got a whiff of a break point in the first set. Fritz then outfoxed Hurkacz in the ensuing tie-break to take a one-set lead.
The American tightened his grip on the match with an early break of serve in the second set. He remained in front until the end to score a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win.
Cerundolo, meanwhile, scored wins over Fabian Marozsan and Tommy Paul to reach the fourth round, where he was up against fourth seed Alexander Zverev. The two went toe-to-toe for most of the first set until the Argentine pulled ahead by going on a three-game run to take the set.
Cerundolo put himself in the driver's seat courtesy of an early break in the second set. He successfully kept Zverev at bay for the rest of the set to register a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
Taylor Fritz vs Francisco Cerundolo head-to-head
Cerundolo leads Fritz 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2023 French Open in four sets.
Taylor Fritz vs Francisco Cerundolo odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Taylor Fritz vs Francisco Cerundolo prediction
Cerundolo's win over Zverev marked his first over a top-10 player since he defeated Fritz at last year's French Open. The Argentine struck 19 winners compared to 11 unforced errors over the course of his win.
Fritz managed to outplay Hurkacz to bag his second career win over a top-10 player on clay. He had a pretty good day on serve as he hit 10 aces and won 88% of his first serve points.
While Cerundolo has a reputation of being adept on clay, Fritz and him have almost comparable records on the surface. The Argentine has a 47-35 win-loss record, while the American has 42 wins against 32 losses on clay.
Both can bully their opponents with their forehands but Fritz's serve gives him an additional advantage. He has also been more consistent throughout the season. As such, the American will be favored to make it through this clash.
Pick: Taylor Fritz to win in three sets.