The call to a friend

Fritz might send a message to Paul and ask him for a bit of advice before facing Majchrzak. The Pole has just beaten a highly ranked local player and will still have nothing to lose tomorrow. Caution advised.

A great win for Majchrzak, which confirms that he definitely belongs in the top 50. He’s a multi-surface player who just put in a strong performance on grass and isn’t wasting any time, already backing it up with a solid showing against a pretty average opponent who’s clearly not at his best after his wedding. It’s a nice win for the Pole, no doubt about it, but you also have to put it into context, especially knowing that tomorrow Fritz will be much more solid and in form.

The Pole even lacked a bit of killer instinct; he could have won much more easily. That’s something he’ll need to fix tomorrow, because he should have even fewer chances on return and, by nature, he’s not a player I’d call clutch. As for the match-up he’s facing, I found it much more comfortable against a guy like Paul, who plays a lot in rhythm but can lose his way against an intelligent player like Majchrzak. Now we’re dealing with a different profile: Fritz is much more dominant on the first few shots of the rally, especially on serve, which I think will be the key to this match.

The American reassured himself after a knee issue at Wimbledon, and there was nothing to worry about against Bergs yesterday. He’s started his tournament well, and I really like the match-up for him here. Majchrzak doesn’t have a great record against big servers and players who can really capitalize on their service games. You might say he’s picked up some nice wins this year against big servers, but the fact is that each time it was very tight, and above all, he struggled to impose his rhythm. When that happens, he gets frustrated quickly and can even retire. The thing is, even from the baseline, a guy like Fritz is capable of holding his own. Therefore, if the Pole can’t make an impact on return, then it’s the American who will have the most opportunities in this match.

Only one match won by Fritz in 2022, but things have changed a lot since then. I don’t really want to focus on that. I think Fritz has started his tournament well, he’s aware of the danger that awaits him, and he’ll be very focused. If I add to that the fact that the match-up seems to favor him, then I feel he should be a strong favorite.