Taylor Fritz vs Nikoloz Basilashvili: Bet on the American

Taylor Fritz, World No.39, will meet Nikoloz Basilashvili, No. 36, in the Indian Wells semifinals. The athletes have played each other three times, all on hard courts in Asia, the score 2-1 in Fritz's favor.

After a bad U.S. Open, Taylor Fritz played two matches in San Diego, losing to Shapovalov in two sets. At Indian Wells, the American played four matches, three of them won in two sets, including games against Matteo Berrettini and Sinner, and Taylor Fritz knocked out Alexander Zverev, the most likely winner of the Masters after Daniil Medvedev was eliminated. Fritz is already nine steps up in the ATP rankings, and if he wins the tournament Taylor will break into the top 20.

The current Indian Wells is a tournament of sensations. Fritz beat Berrettini and Zverev, Dimitrov beat Medvedev, and Basilashvili was stronger than Khachanov and Tsitsipas. The match against the Russian was a two-set affair, while against the Greeks the Georgian had to play three. The match lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in favor of Nikoloz. Basilashvili has already moved seven positions up in the rankings, and winning the tournament will get the Georgian into the ATP Top-20.

The athletes have played each other twice in 2021. First, Basilashvili beat Fritz in two sets in Doha, and then four days later, on March 16, Fritz took revenge by winning a three-set match. Note that Nikoloz and Taylor played each other exclusively on the Asian continent but the American has two wins in three matches. The upcoming encounter is to take place in the USA, i.e. Fritz is playing at home, so it is no surprise that Taylor is quoted as the favorite. Here are the betting options for this match: H1 (-1.5) for 1.66.