Indian Wells 2022 Final: Rafael Nadal vs Taylor Fritz preview, head-to-head and prediction | BNP Paribas Open
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Rafael Nadal vs (20) Taylor Fritz
Date: 20 March 2022.
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open.
Round: Final
Venue: Indian Wells, California, USA.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Match timing: Not before 3:00 pm PT/10:00 pm GMT/3:30 am IST/6:00 pm EST.
Prize money: $8,584,055.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot.
Rafael Nadal vs Taylor Fritz preview
Rafael Nadal will face Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final on Sunday.
Nadal has had an incredible run of form so far this year, winning 20 matches in a row. The Spaniard started 2022 with a victory at the Melbourne Summer Set without dropping a single set. He followed it up by winning the Australian Open after beating Daniil Medvedev in a tense final.
Nadal then beat Medvedev yet again in the semis of the Mexican Open before triumphing over Cameron Norrie in the final.
Seeded fourth at the Indian Wells Masters, the Spaniard started his campaign with a hard-fought win over Sebastian Korda. He then beat Dan Evans and Reilly Opelka to reach the quarterfinals, where he fought off Nick Kyrgios in three sets.
Nadal then had to battle for more than three hours to fend off younger compatriot Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the semifinals on Saturday.
Rafa doing Rafa things ☺️
#IndianWells https://t.co/U8KdiuN4se
Fritz, meanwhile, had a promising start to 2022 by winning two out of three singles matches in the ATP Cup. Both of his wins came against higher-ranked players in Felix Auger-Aliassime and Cameron Norrie.
The American then reached the fourth round of the Australian Open before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets.
After a quarter-final finish in Dallas and a pre-quarterfinal exit from Acapulco, Fritz entered the Indian Wells Masters as the 20th seed. He beat the likes of 29th seed Alex de Minaur and World No. 7 Andrey Rublev to make the biggest final of his career.
Fritz also became the first American to reach the summit clash of the Indian Wells Masters since John Isner in 2012.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
The first American man to reach the Indian Wells final in 10 years!
#IndianWells | @Taylor_Fritz97 https://t.co/3TwJ6cRO7R
Rafael Nadal vs Taylor Fritz head-to-head
Rafael Nadal leads Taylor Fritz 1-0 in the head-to-head. The two previously met in the final of the Mexican Open in 2020, with the Spaniard winning 6-3, 6-2.
Rafael Nadal vs Taylor Fritz prediction
By dint of his form and accomplishments, Nadal will be the heavy favorite to win the final. However, Fritz has been in exceptional form over the past couple of weeks and his victory over Rublev allays any doubts one may have about his quality.
Nadal's solid groundstrokes, immaculate net play and return game will be hard for Fritz to handle. The American will rely heavily on his strong serve and powerful forehand for winners.
However, his footwork and defense aren't the strongest elements of his game and Nadal will look to exploit those. The 24-year-old can definitely put up a fight, but Nadal has far too much firepower and should cruise to a fourth title in the desert.
Prediction: Nadal to win in straight sets.
Also Check Out: Indian Wells Masters 2022 Results