Olympics R2 previews and predictions: Fritz vs. Draper, Popyrin vs. Wawrinka

Taylor Fritz will try to keep his singles medal hopes alive at the Paris Olympics when he runs into Jack Draper on Tuesday. Second-round action also continues with a showdown between Alexei Popyrin and Stan Wawrinka.

Jack Draper vs. (7) Taylor Fritz

Fritz and Draper will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in round two at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday afternoon. They have split their two previous encounters, starting with a 6-3, 6-2 victory for Draper at home on the grass courts of Queen’s Club in 2022. Their lone clay-court encounter did not disappoint; Fritz prevailed in a third-set tiebreaker earlier this season in Munich.

As those results indicate, Draper–despite being competitive in Munich–would much rather face Fritz on grass. The 27th-ranked Brit is least comfortable on the crushed brick, although he did well to defeat Kei Nishikori on Sunday. Of course, Fritz is a whole different beast compared to a past-his-prime Nishikori. The 12th-ranked American, who eased past Alexander Bublik on Saturday, is 36-13 this year and recently made a run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Count on an in-form Fritz coasting into the round of 16 in Paris.

Pick: Fritz in 2

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Stan Wawrinka vs. Alexei Popyrin

Wawrinka had revenge on his mind in the opening round and the story will be somewhat similar on Tuesday. After losing to Pavel Kotov in a fourth-set tiebreaker at Roland Garros a couple of months ago, the 39-year-old Swiss erased the Russian 6-1, 6-1 on Sunday. Now Wawrinka faces Popyrin, who won their only previous meeting 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 in the 2023 Umag final–almost exactly a year ago to the day.

With Popyrin showcasing a mediocre level at the moment, Wawrinka should have a good chance to turn the tide. The 63rd-ranked Aussie still has a losing record for his 2024 campaign (13-14) even after beating Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 7-6(5) in the first round. He is a horrendous 3-7 on clay this season. Wawrinka has always been comfortable on this surface–especially at Roland Garros–and appears to be playing inspired tennis at what is obviously his final Olympics.

Pick: Wawrinka in 3

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