Nick Kyrgios vs Taylor Harry Fritz Prediciton: Nick Kyrgios To Win in Straight Sets

On Friday, world No. 11 Taylor Fritz will face 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals of the Japan Open.

Kyrgios faced Kamil Majchrzak in the second round after defeating Tseng Chun-hsin in the first round. The Australian fell behind 3-0 in the first set and was unable to comeback, ultimately losing the match.

Kyrgios had to save a break point at the opening of the second set to escape another early break. That proved to be a mere hiccup for him, as he won four straight games to capture the set and force a deciding.

Kyrgios took a 3-0 lead in the final set and maintained it till the conclusion. With Majchrzak serving to remain in the match at 5-2, the Australian broke his opponent's serve once more to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Fritz began his challenge with a three-set win over James Duckworth in the first round. In the second round, he faced qualifier Hiroki Moriya. The Japanese veteran made a solid start to the match, breaking his younger opponent's serve in the opening game.

Fritz answered by winning the next six games in a row to claim the opening set. This appeared to be another simple battle for him, but Moriya had other intentions. The qualifier lifted his game to capture the second set with a three-game surge at the conclusion.

At the start of the third set, Fritz had many break points but failed to convert them. He ultimately broke serve in the eighth game to go up 5-3. The American then came up to serve for the match, but he was thwarted by Moriya's strong resistance.

Fritz, on the other hand, did not let the match slip away from him. In the next game, he broke his opponent's serve to win 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.

Both were anticipated to breeze through their second-round matches, but they were forced to settle for three sets. It's reasonable with Fritz because he hurried to Japan at the last minute after recuperating from COVID. He may not be at his physical peak yet and will face an uphill struggle against the Australian.

Kyrgios took a time to get going against Majchrzak in the previous round, but once he did, he was unstoppable. He struck 22 aces without a single double fault while also commanding play from the rear of the court. Fritz was only able to get past Moriya because of his serve, since he was being outplayed in the rallies.

Their last meeting was just a few weeks ago in Cincinnati. Fritz played a fantastic match to defeat the Australian at the time. Given his form and the American's health issues, the outcome is expected to favor Kyrgios this time.

• Total Under 24.5 for 1.81
• Handicap Taylor Harry Fritz (+2) for 1.948
• Individual Total 2 Under 12.5 for 1.84