On Friday at the 2023 ATP Mexico Open, world number five Taylor Fritz takes on world number fifteen Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling quarterfinal encounter.
Follow Us
Feliciano Lopez is a persistent player, and although he hasn’t had much success lately, he did put up a valiant effort against Tiafoe in the second set. But the American prevailed in straight sets to guarantee his place in the quarterfinals. Lopez couldn’t break Tiafoe in the second set, and the match ended in a 6-2, 7-6 (6) victory in an hour and 29 minutes. Tiafoe rallied to earn himself a match point at 6-5 and 7-6 in a tiebreaker that was close throughout. At one point, he was down 4-5. He succeeded with the second. This comes after another straight-set victory in the opening round, where Tiafoe was a little pushed. Yoshihito Nishioka had a chance to win the opening set as he also led 5-4 in the opening set tiebreaker but ultimately fell short 8-6. Tiafoe now meets a rival with whom he has a very bad head-to-head record, so he will have to step up his game significantly to defeat the world’s fifth-ranked player.
Fritz easily defeated Denis Shapovalov in the second round, carrying on his strong recent success. As a result, Fritz won his sixth game in a row and advanced to the tournament’s round of eight. The third-seeded Taylor Fritz won the match 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 19 minutes, and despite a small hiccup at the end, he maintained control throughout. In the opening set, he only dropped four points on serve, and once he broke Shapovalov, the Canadian was unable to recover. In the second, Fritz broke twice more serves, giving him a 5-1 advantage. When Fritz served to win the match at 5-2, Shapovalov managed to get one back, but there were no more opportunities for him as Fritz won the match of his subsequent service game. Fritz now confronts a more difficult opponent in his fellow American, but he has already survived some difficult sets against John Isner and Denis Shapovalov and shouldn’t be very concerned.
| Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | March 3, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard |
| Tournament | Mexican Open |
| Stage | Quarterfinals |
| Time (India) | 7:30 am |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Denis Shapovalov | 6-4, 6-4 (W) |
| John Isner | 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 (W) |
| Miomir Kecmanovic | 6-0, 5-7, 6-2 (W) |
| Mackenzie Mcdonald | 6-3, 7-6 (W) |
| Adrian Mannarino | 7-6, 6-4 (W) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Feliciano Lopez | 6-2, 7-6 (W) |
| Yoshihito Nishioka | 7-6, 6-4 (W) |
| JJ Wolf | 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 (L) |
| Mackenzie Mcdonald | 6-1, 6-3 (W) |
| Karen Khachanov | 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (W) |
5-1 in favor of Taylor Fritz. Frances Tiafoe’s earlier defeats to his compatriot have been significantly influenced by his inconsistent play. Taylor Fritz and he are both capable of doing most things, therefore if he can solve this problem, he will have a decent chance of winning.
Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will face each other in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Mexican Open on Friday, March 3.
Australia – beIN Sports
Canada – TSN
India – Tennis TV
UK- Amazon Prime Video
USA – Tennis Channel
All ATP and WTA Tour level matches can be viewed on demand on the Tennis TV website and app.
