Cincinnati 2020: Taylor Fritz vs Lloyd Harris preview, head-to-head & prediction

Cincinnati 2020: Taylor Fritz vs Lloyd Harris preview, head-to-head & prediction | Western & Southern Open

Modified Aug 22, 2020 10:07 GMT

24th-ranked American Taylor Fritz begins his campaign at the 2020 Cincinnati Masters with a first-round clash against South Africa's Lloyd Harris.

Taylor Fritz will be playing his first tour match since his win over Sanjar Fayzlev in a Davis Cup first-round qualifier between USA and Uzbekistan back in March. Before that, he had put together a good run in Acapulco - where he lost to Rafael Nadal in the final.

Earlier in the season, Fritz lost two of his three round-robin matches at the inaugural ATP Cup, before making a first-round exit in Adelaide. The 22-year-old then reached the third round at the Australian Open, where he was beaten in four sets by eventual finalist Dominic Thiem.

The 98th-ranked Lloyd Harris also opened his campaign at the inaugural ATP Cup, where he lost two of his three matches for Team South Africa. The 23-year-old then came through qualifying to reach his first career singles final in Adelaide, where he lost to Andrey Rublev.

Following a first-round loss to Diego Schwartzman at the Australian Open, Harris qualified for the Dubai Open - only to lose in the opening round to Richard Gasquet.

In a Davis Cup Round 1 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lloyd Harris won one of two singles matches before the tour was suspended because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Taylor Fritz vs Lloyd Harris head-to-head

Taylor Fritz and Lloyd Harris have never met on the tour. Their Round 1 meeting at the 2020 Cincinnati Masters will be the first time the two 6'4" tall players, who both turned pro in 2015, will clash against each other.

Taylor Fritz vs Lloyd Harris prediction

Both players will be appearing in their first competitive fixture in nearly six months, but the higher-ranked Taylor Fritz should have enough in the bag for Lloyd Harris.

Apart from the similarities in their playing styles, both men have lost six matches and made a final appearance apiece this season. However, Fritz has far more experience in the biggest tournaments on the tour, including Masters 1000 events.

The American has won 15 of 34 Masters level matches, with his best result being a fourth-round appearance at Indian Wells 2018. Harris, on the other hand, is playing only his second Masters 1000 tournament, after losing in the first round to Robin Haase in Miami last year.

What probably evens things out a bit is that Taylor Fritz hasn't won a main-draw match at the Cincinnati Masters in two attempts (2016, 2019). But he should fancy his chances of getting off the mark when pitted against a player as inexperienced as Harris.

Prediction: Taylor Fritz to win in straight sets.