Houston 2022: Taylor Fritz vs Cristian Garin preview, head-to-head and prediction | U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships

Match Details

Fixture: (2) Taylor Fritz vs (5) Cristian Garin

Date: 8 April 2022

Tournament: U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships 2022

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Houston, Texas, USA

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Clay

Prize money: $665,330

Match Timing: Approx. 3 p.m. local time, 8 p.m. GMT, 1:30 a.m. IST

Live telecast: USA - ESPN 3 | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Taylor Fritz vs Cristian Garin preview

Taylor Fritz will look to win his second title of the year

Second seed Taylor Fritz will square off against fifth seed Cristian Garin in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships on Friday.

The American has enjoyed an excellent season so far, having already lifted the trophy at Indian Wells. After winning two out of three matches at the ATP Cup, Fritz reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas after pushing the Greek to five sets.

After early exits from Dallas and Acapulco, the 24-year-old headed into the Indian Wells Masters as the 20th seed. He reached the semifinals of the tournament following wins over Kamil Majchrzak, Jaume Munar, Alex de Minaur and Miomir Kecmanovic.

He then beat Andrey Rublev, who was on a 13-match winning streak, to reach the final against Rafael Nadal. Fritz ended the Spaniard's 20-match winning run to lift his first Masters 1000 title.

The American then made the trip to Miami, where he started by beating Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. He continued his excellent form by defeating compatriot Tommy Paul in straight sets to reach the last 16. But his winning streak finally came to an end when he lost to Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets.

Fritz is the second seed at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships and reached the quarterfinals after defeating Alejandro Tabilo 6-1, 6-4.

Garin, on the other hand, has had a disappointing season thus far. The Chilean started the year by winning just one of his three matches at the ATP Cup. He reached the third round of the Australian Open after two five-set victories over Facundo Bagnis and Pedro Martinez, but was ousted by Gael Monfils in straight sets.

The 25-year-old then suffered early exits at Cordoba, Rio and Santiago. As the 27th seed, he received a bye to the second round of the Miami Masters but lost to Pedro Martinez in straight sets.

Garin entered the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships as the reigning champion and reached the quarterfinals following three-set wins over Jack Sock and Jordan Thompson.

Taylor Fritz vs Cristian Garin head-to-head

Friday's match in Houston will be the first meeting between Fritz and Garin, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0. The winner will take on either Frances Tiafoe or John Isner in the semifinals.

Taylor Fritz vs Cristian Garin prediction

Following his triumph at Indian Wells and fourth-round showing in Miami, Fritz will be heavily favored to beat Garin. The American has a fantastic record this season with 16 wins out of 21 matches.

Garin, on the other hand, has been in poor form this season with only five wins from 12 matches. The Chilean is at his most comfortable on clay. This year, however, he lost three successive matches on the surface before winning two in Houston.

Fritz will use his powerful serve and groundstrokes to try to keep Garin at bay. The American has vastly improved his all-round game over the past few months and seems to be getting better with every tournament. He will, however, have to be at his best physically as Garin is highly skilled in moving his opponents around the court.

The Chilean possesses a solid defensive game with a strong forehand and on his day, can challenge the best on clay. However, given his poor form, he likely isn't going to be at the level needed to beat the in-form Fritz.

Pick: Taylor Fritz to win in straight sets

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