Novak Djokovic will go up against a second straight American when he battles Taylor Fritz at the Australian Open on Friday. Fritz beat his best friend in the second round, and now best friends Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime will also square off.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (27) Taylor Fritz
Djokovic and Fritz will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they clash in round three of the Australian Open on Friday. Both of their previous meetings have gone Djokovic’s way; 6-3, 6-0 at the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters and 6-4, 6-2 at the Madrid Masters a few weeks later. A hard court will at least give Fritz a better chance, but that’s obviously not saying a lot.
The 31st-ranked American, who is coming off a great escape in five sets against Reilly Opelka on Wednesday, may be encouraged by compatriot Frances Tiafoe’s performance in round two. Tiafoe lost to Djokovic in a competitive 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 6-3 encounter. The world No. 1 also wasn’t entirely dominant at the ATP Cup, but nonetheless he is sporting a 4-0 record for the season. Djokovic will likely raise his level and finish Fritz in straight sets, but it may not be a complete beatdown.
Pick: Djokovic in 3 losing 11-14 games
(11) Denis Shapovalov vs. (20) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime would rather be facing each other much deeper at Grand Slams, and in due time that will probably be the case. But they have to improve their rankings for that to happen on a consistent basis, and for now they will settle for a third-round showdown on Friday. Amazingly enough, the two Canadians collided in consecutive U.S. Open first rounds in 2018 and 2019–both won by Shapovalov (via retirement and then with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 rout). He is 3-1 in the overall head-to-head series, 2-1 on the main tour and 1-0 at the Challenger level.
As it stands right now, it has to be said that Shapovalov handles big-stage pressure much better than his good friend. The 21-year-old owns one ATP title, reached the final of the 2019 Paris Masters, and made a run to the 2020 U.S. Open quarterfinals. Auger-Aliassime is 0-7 lifetime in ATP finals and has been past round three of a major only once (never past the fourth round). Until the 20-year-old’s confidence in these situations improves, Shapovalov has a clear edge.
Pick: Shapovalov in 4
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