Wimbledon 2022: Taylor Fritz vs Alex Molcan preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (11) Taylor Fritz vs Alex Molcan.
Date: July 2, 2022.
Tournament: Wimbledon 2022.
Round: Third round (Round of 32).
Venue: London, United Kingdom.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: £40,350,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports & Disney+ Hotstar app.
Taylor Fritz vs Alex Molcan preview
World No. 14 Taylor Fritz will take on Slovakia's Alex Molcan in the third round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships on Saturday.
After a straight-sets win over Lorenzo Musetti in the first round, Fritz was up against home favorite Alastair Gray. After saving three break points in the very first game of the match, he broke his opponent's serve to lead 2-0. The American maintained his lead until the end of the set, where after saving a couple of break points, he served it out.
Fritz fell behind 4-1 in the second set, but fought his way back to level the score. In the ensuing tie-break, he came out on top to clinch the set. The American started the third set on the backfoot as well, but won five games in a row to lead 5-2.
Fritz held four match points on Gray's serve, but the Brit held his nerve to make it 5-3. The World No. 14 then closed out the match with no fuss to win 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-3.
Everyone thought the point was finished... apart from @Taylor_Fritz97!
Absolutely OUTSTANDING 😮 https://t.co/2cxvbx53uW
Alex Molcan kicked off his Wimbledon campaign with a four-set win over Pedro Martinez in the first round. He took on Marcos Giron in the second round. The Slovak secured a break in the opening game of the match, but his opponent retrieved the break immediately.
Molcan then went up a break to lead 4-2, and held on to this advantage to win the set. He started the second set by breaking Giron's serve twice to lead 4-0, a deficit that proved too much for the American to recover from as he lost another set.
A lone break of serve at the start of the third set was enough for Molcan to win the match 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and advance to the third round at Wimbledon for the first time.
Taylor Fritz vs Alex Molcan head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the duo, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Taylor Fritz vs Alex Molcan odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Taylor Fritz vs Alex Molcan prediction
Fritz has been in good form over the last two weeks and has built up a good amount of momentum. He won the title at Eastbourne prior to Wimbledon and has played well at the All England Club so far. Molcan is making his debut at the grasscourt Major, but there are no signs of nerves on his part.
Molcan blasted 39 winners during his second-round win over Giron, while Fritz could muster only 17 in his match. The American's forehand did most of the heavy lifting and if Molcan finds a way to counter it, he'll have a much easier time moving forward.
The Slovak could also try to bait Fritz into approaching the net more often. Most of the American's volleys and passing shots were unsuccessful against Gray in the second round.
Fritz will certainly have the edge in baseline rallies, and his serve is slightly better than his opponent's. Molcan has improved a lot since hiring Marian Vajda, Novak Djokovic's former coach. He'll now be looking to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, but will have to play at a consistently high level to pull off an upset.
This looks like a match that could go down to the wire, but Fritz is likely to walk away with the win.
Pick: Taylor Fritz to win in five sets.