The last quarterfinal match scheduled at the ATP Indian Wells Masters 1000 event features Alexander Zverev taking on Taylor Fritz. Zverev is a huge favorite here, but a balanced head-to-head history and a strong week of tennis from both players makes this matchup tough to call. In our ATP tennis picks from Indian Wells, we delve into Zverev vs Fritz and issue our recommendation from a betting perspective.
Alexander Zverev vs Taylor Fritz
Why bet on Taylor Fritz:
✅ Zverev vs Fritz has been an evenly matched series historically. Zverev has won three of the four matches between them, but the two have split their two hard court meetings. Fritz has also taken at least a set in two of Zverev’s three wins over Fritz, and a competitive affair should be in the cards again here.
✅ Taylor Fritz has played very well this week, taking down Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner in his last two matches to get to this stage. Those players have a similar combination to Zverev of powerful groundstrokes and the ability to defend. Expect Fritz to come out sharp in this matchup as a result.
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✅ There will be a partisan crowd at this match, as it is taking place in the United States. The American tennis fans will be backing Fritz to win this one, as a victory by the American would keep the last remaining American alive in this tournament.
Alexander Zverev
Sascha Zverev has had an impressive week at Indian Wells, winning three straight matches against Jenson Brooksby, Andy Murray and Gael Monfils to reach the quarters. Murray and Monfils are past their respective primes, while Brooksby has not yet entered his yet, but Zverev has dropped just one set at this tournament. That set did come against an American, though, and the American crowd at this tournament will try to propel Fritz to a similarly competitive match.
Zverev wasn’t broken in his round of 16 match against Monfils, who isn’t known for being a proficient returner of serve. But the German was broken three times against Murray and twice against Brooksby, meaning that Zverev has not been invincible on serve this week. If Fritz can buckle down and give himself chances to break, he could make this match a sweat for Zverev.
Hubert Hurkacz
Taylor Fritz is the last American remaining in this tournament in men’s or women’s singles, and will look to represent his country well against Zverev. Fritz has won all three of his matches this week in straight sets. He beat fellow American Brandon Nakashima to start things off, defeating Italians Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner after that. Fritz entered this week ranked 39th in the world, but has played like a top-20 player for much of the week.
The return of serve from Fritz has been the highlight of his game this week. Fritz has averaged four breaks of serve per match at Indian Wells, as he has taken advantage of the slow court conditions in a big way. He broke the big serving Berrettini four times two matches ago, and will need to deliver a similar performance against another massive serving player in Zverev to make the semifinals.