US Open 2023: Taylor Fritz vs Steve Johnson preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Fixture: (9) Taylor Fritz vs (WC) Steve Johnson

Tournament: US Open 2023

Date: Monday, August 28

Round: First Round (Round of 128)

Venue: New York, USA

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Hardcourt

Prize money: $65,000,000

Live telecast:- USA: ESPN | UK: Sky Sports | Australia: Nine Network | Canada: TSN | India & South Asia: Sony Sports Network

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Taylor Fritz vs Steve Johnson prediction

Frtiz opens his campaign on Monday.

Ninth seed Taylor Fritz opens his campaign for a maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open against wildcard Steve Johnson in an all-American first-round clash.

World No. 9 Fritz is having an excellent season, winning 45 of his 64 matches. He's coming off a quarterfinal run at Cincinnati last week, losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Fritz opened the season with four wins in five matches at the inaugural United Cup in Team USA's victorious campaign. The 25-year-old made the semifinal in Dallas before winning his first title of 2023 at Delray Beach.

The American then made the semifinal in Acapulco and the last eight at both Indian Wells and Miami. In a strong claycourt swing, he made the semis at Monte-Carlo, Munich, and Geneva.

Fritz won his second title of the year at Atlanta ahead of his eighth campaign at Flushing Meadows, where he has an underwhelming 6-7 record and has never gone past the third round.

Meanwhile, the 186th-ranked Johnson has won only twice on the tour this season, losing four times. The two wins have come at Houston and Newport, but Johnson has done well on the Challenger Tour, winning titles at Bloomfield Hills and Lexington.

Johnson has a slightly better record at Flushing Meadows than Fritz, going 7-12, but has also not ventured beyond the third round, like his compatriot.

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Taylor Fritz vs Steve Johnson head-to-head

Fritz has won four of the pair's six meetings, including the last one in the Atlanta second round in 2021. This will be their fifth hardcourt clash, with Fritz leading 3-1, and second at a Major.

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Taylor Fritz vs Steve Johnson odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Taylor Fritz
Steve Johnson

The odds will be updated when they release.

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Taylor Fritz vs Steve Johnson prediction

Johnson opens his campaign on Monday.

Both Americans are quintessential baseliners, but the similarities in their game styles end there.

Fritz is one of the hardest hitters and most powerful servers on tour and moves well for his height. Johnson, meanwhile, is largely a counterpuncher and has far more modest attributes.

Moreover, Fritz takes the edge over his older compatriot in terms of his experience, consistency, and pedigree, especially on hardcourt, where he has a 159-109 record and four titles. Johnson, meanwhile, is 127-137 on the surface.

As if that wasn't enough, Fritz has had his compatriot's number and is having one of the best seasons of his career. Expect the No. 1 American to take the win without much fuss.

Pick: Frtiz in straight sets