Olympics R1 previews and predictions: Fritz vs. Bublik, Griekspoor vs. Norrie

The tennis competition at the Paris Olympics gets underway on Saturday, when Taylor Fritz begins his medal bid against Alexander Bublik. Tallon Griekspoor and Cameron Norrie are also in first-round action.

Alexander Bublik vs. (7) Taylor Fritz

Fritz and Bublik will be facing each other for the sixth time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Paris Olympics on Saturday afternoon. Bublik leads the head-to-head series 3-2, but Fritz has won two in a row dating back to the start of 2022. They were also playing for their respective countries in their most recent encounter, with Fritz prevailing 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-3 during round-robin competition at the 2022 Davis Cup Finals.

The 11th-ranked American should once again have the edge, as he is in far superior form and is more comfortable on clay. Fritz is 35-13 this season and coming off a quarterfinal performance at Wimbledon. Bublik is 5-6 in his last 11 matches and it’s also worth noting that he is 4-6 lifetime at Roland Garros. Count on Fritz rolling into the second round as he kicks off what is a very realistic medal bid.

Pick: Fritz in 2

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Tallon Griekspoor vs. Cameron Norrie

Griekspoor and Norrie will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Saturday. This figures to be one of the more competitive first-round matches at the Paris Games, but a slight advantage may go to Norrie. Although the 44th-ranked Brit is the essence of an all-court player, he has quietly put together impressive results on clay throughout his career–including a 500-point title in Rio de Janeiro last year.

Griekspoor is decent enough on the terre battue, but he would rather face Norrie on something like an indoor hard court–or perhaps even grass (even though the British lefty once advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals). The 27th-ranked Dutchman has cooled off considerably since a hot start to his 2024 campaign, with a 1-4 record in his last five matches. After leaving the All-England Club he went back to clay and lost in the Bastad first round to Timofey Skotov. Look for Norrie to take advantage.

Pick: Norrie in 3

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