Cameron Norrie vs Taylor Fritz: the Briton to beat Fritz for the 5th time

No.13 Cameron Norrie will face Taylor Fritz ranked 26 in the Paris Masters round of 16. The athletes have played each other seven times in the tour, 4-3 in favor of the British, so probably that’s why Cameron is a slight favorite of the upcoming match.

Norrie ignored the Russian tournaments and went to Vienna after Indian Wells, where the Briton won by beating Basilashvili in the final. Cameron was totally not at his best in the Austrian capital. He knocked Fucsovics out of the tournament but lost to Auger-Aliassime. In Paris, the Briton played two matches and was stronger than Delbonis and Opelka, both of whom Cameron beat in two sets. The match against Reilly lasted 1 hour and 14 minutes, Cameron won it 6-3, 6-4.

Unlike Cameron, Taylor Fritz played in the St. Petersburg tournament, where he reached the final only to lose to Marin Cilic. Again the stats were confirmed, Taylor was unable to win a tournament held in continental Europe. Taylor knocked Ruusuvuori, Paul, Millman, and Struff out of the bracket in Russia's northern capital, losing only one set before the final. In Indian Wells, Fritz reached the semifinals and could well have become a rival for Norrie, but he lost to Basilashvili. The American lost a set to Sonego in Paris but beat Rublev 2-0.

The British and the American have played each other seven times, 4-3 in favor of Norrie, and it is interesting that all matches were on hard court, and the only indoor match in October 2020 saw Norrie win in three sets with a handicap (-2.5). The last time Norrie and Fritz played each other was in July 2021 in Los Cabos, then the British won very easily, 6-3, 6-1. There's a lot of evidence that Cameron will beat Fritz on Thursday as well. It is not so sure, though, considering the American's good form, that it will be a quick match, like in Mexico. Here are the odds for this match: H1 (-1.5) for 1.95, Correct Score 2-1 for 4.00.