Fixture: (4) Taylor Fritz vs (11) Jannik Sinner
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Indian Wells, California, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $8,800,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Taylor Fritz vs Jannik Sinner preview
Fourth seed Taylor Fritz will take on 11th seed Jannik Sinner on Thursday (March 16) in the Indian Wells quarterfinals.
World No. 5 Fritz has improved to 17-4 on the season with a trio of victories this week - beating Ben Shelton, Sebastian Baez and Marton Fucsovics - for the loss of just one set.
The 25-year-old American is coming off a semifinal run at Acapulco, where he lost to Tommy Paul in a third-set tiebreak. Earlier this year, Fritz won his first title of the year in Delray Beach after losing to eventual winner Yibing Wu in the Dallas semifinals a week earlier.
Meanwhile, the 13th-ranked Sinner is having an impressive campaign of his own in the Californian desert. Like Fritz, he has also dropped just one set in three matches this week, having seen off Richard Gasquet, Adrian Mannarino and Stan Wawrinka.
Earlier, Sinner won his first title of the year in Montpellier before losing in the Rotterdam final to Daniil Medvedev.
Taylor Fritz vs Jannik Sinner head-to-head
Fritz won the pair's lone meeting at Indian Wells two years ago in the Round of 16, with the American emerging triumphant in straight sets.
Taylor Fritz vs Jannik Sinner odds
The odds will be updated when they release.
Taylor Fritz vs Jannik Sinner prediction
Like most active players on the tour, both Fritz and Sinner look to dominate opponents from the baseline.
This is a tough matchup to call, as the two players have pretty similar game styles and tend to play their best tennis on hardcourts. Both players have big serves, hit big off both flanks and move well - attributes that pay rich dividends on faster surfaces.
Moreover, Fritz and Sinner have won titles on the surface this year coming into the first Masters 1000 tournament of 2023. Both players have vastly improved since their only meeting at Indian Wells two years ago. Fritz could have the edge, coming off a breakthrough 2022 campaign.
The American won his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells last year and should ride the momentum to make another deep run in this year's edition of the tournament.
Prediction: Fritz in three sets.