An all-American matchup between Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe is part of quarterfinal Thursday at the ATP 500 in Acapulco. Holger Rune and Matteo Berrettini are squaring off in another blockbuster battle.
(3) Taylor Fritz vs. (6) Frances Tiafoe
Fritz and Tiafoe will be facing each other for the seventh time in their careers when the two Americans meet again in the quarterfinals of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-1 in favor of Fritz, who has reeled off five wins in a row since losing to Tiafoe at the 2016 Indian Wells Masters. On the bright side for Tiafoe, three of his five losses have required deciding sets and their most recent encounter resulted in a 7-6(3), 7-6(2) decision in the 2022 Tokyo title match.
Both guys are playing the best tennis of their careers right, but Fritz is the more consistent and reliable performer. The world No. 5 wrapped up last year with a Nitto ATP Finals berth (reached the semis) and is 13-3 so far this season. With a title in Delray Beach and Acapulco victories over John Isner and Denis Shapovalov, Fritz is on a six-match winning streak. Acapulco suits Fritz’s game perfectly (he finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal in 2020), so his success against Tiafoe should continue.
Pick: Fritz in 2
Matteo Berrettini vs. (4) Holger Rune
It’s surprising to see Berrettini unseeded–especially at a 500-point tournament–but that is the case for him down at No. 24 in the rankings due to injury-related time off and some early losses (such as to Andy Murray in round one of the Australian Open). However, the 26-year-old Italian is by no means in bad form and conditions are great for him in Acapulco. He booked his quarterfinal spot this week by getting a retirement from Alex Molcan while leading 6-1, 6-0 before beating Elias Ymer 6-3, 6-3.
Next up for Berrettini is Rune, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury of his own since the Aussie Open. The 10th-ranked Dane lost to Maxime Cressy in the Montpellier semifinals and retired from his second-round match in Rotterdam. Rune struggled with Ben Shelton in his Acapulco opener (6-7(7), 6-4, 6-2) but destroyed Nuno Borges 6-0, 6-2 on Wednesday night. With the No. 4 seed not exactly on fire, Berrettini may be able to overpower him and keep points short in these conditions.
Pick: Berrettini in 3
WWW?
I like Tiafoe in 3; and Rune in 2.