Taylor Fritz is looking like a serious title contender in a wide-open Cincinnati draw and his campaign continues in round three against a red-hot Daniel Merida on Tuesday. The winner will face either Joao Fonseca or Christopher O’Connell.
(6) Taylor Fritz vs. Daniel Merida
Fritz and Merida will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in round three of the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday. It has been an outstanding summer for both players. Fritz advanced to a pair of grass-court finals, reached the quarters at Wimbledon, and captured a title in Washington, D.C. Merida won an ATP 250 event in Umag and is coming off a quarterfinal run at the Montreal Masters.
You have to think fatigue is going to become a factor for Merida sooner rather than later. The 40th-ranked Spaniard played five matches in Montreal and has already won two in Cincinnati, ousting Marin Cilic and Zizou Bergs. For Fritz, though, an early loss in Montreal could be a blessing in disguise in between Washington and Cincinnati. The ninth-ranked American looked great in his opening match on Sunday, disposing of compatriot Alex Michelsen 6-3, 6-4. It feels like this is where Merida runs out of gas — especially given the competition level.
Pick: Fritz in 2
(23) Joao Fonseca vs. (Q) Christopher O’Connell
Fonseca advanced to the fourth round north of the border (lost to eventual champion Ben Shelton), but he will have to go even deeper in Cincinnati if he wants to secure a top-24 seed at the U.S. Open. The 19-year-old defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud in Montreal, marking the third time in his last four tournaments that he has won multiple matches. Fonseca, who was a French Open quarterfinalist (d. Ruud and Novak Djokovic), continued his fine form with a 6-4, 7-6(2) victory over Botic van de Zandschulp on Sunday.
The Brazilian figured to be in line for another showdown against Ruud, but O’Connell got past the Norwegian via second-set retirement on Sunday. It has been a productive fortnight overall for O’Connell, who qualified for the main draw and then beat Kamil Majchrzak 6-4, 7-6(5) before taking the first set from Ruud. This success has come pretty much out of nowhere for the 129th-ranked Australian, who had been 2-7 at the ATP level in 2026 prior to arriving in Cincinnati. Asking him to keep the run going against a such a formidable foe is probably too much.
Pick: Fonseca in 2
WWW?
Fritz in 2; Fonz in 2.
Fons OUT