It’s been a long time coming since an American man left his mark on the Parisian clay. Since Andre Agassi in 2003, America hasn’t had their own male quarter-finalist at French Open. Now, Taylor Fritz stands just two wins away from ending the two decades long drought, however, he has to pass the Thanasi Kokkinakis test first.

Fritz has had a pretty remarkable start to the clay swing. On the back of a couple of deep runs and a few impressive victories, he brings his magic to Stade Roland Garros. Kokkinakis, on the other hand, has taken everyone by surprise with back to back five-set wins in Paris and is eyeing his first Grand Slam 2nd week appearance.

Taylor Fritz vs Thanasi Kokkinakis: French Open Round 3 Preview

Fritz’s 12-5 win-loss record for the clay swing might appear to be substandard, but his memorable runs in Munich, Rome and Madrid speak volumes about his clay-court pedigree. During these runs, he dominated the likes of Grigor Dimitrov and Sebastian Korda to announce himself as a serious threat. Add to that a couple of four set victories over seasoned clay-courters like Lajovic and Coria at the French Open, will surely do his confidence a world of good.

Kokkinakis meanwhile had a rather quiet clay swing so far. Aside from winning the Sarasota Challenger, he hasn’t made any headlines. However, his French Open run so far has been nothing short of extraordinary. Back-to-back wins in five-sets while starting as an underdog on each occasion highlights his ‘never say die’ attitude. With enough recovery time, he can certainly make life difficult for the American.

Taylor Fritz vs Thanasi Kokkinakis: Head-to-Head

Taylor and Thanasi have locked horns twice before, and shared the head-to-head record. However, they haven’t faced each other in nearly six years, nor on clay.

• Los Cabos 2017 QF (H): Kokkinakis won 7-6(5), 6-2
• Los Cabos 2018 R32 (H): Fritz won 7-6(6), 7-6(5)

The sample size or time span is not sufficient to draw any conclusions in this case

Prediction:

Despite Fritz’s recent form and adjustments, he has a habit of playing long grand slam matches. Sustained excellence in the longer format remains a matter of concern for him, which Kokkinakis will look to exploit.

Fritz’s serving numbers have seen an improvement of late. He is regularly touching double digits with his ace count. Kokkinakis, also is a serve-dominant player who engages in short points. This matchup is likely to witness some quick rallies owing to players’ flat groundstrokes and big serving numbers. However, Fritz’s backhand potency and form on clay will prove to be too good for the Australian.

After playing a series of long five-setters, Thanasi’s tank might not sustain a dominant Taylor Fritz who can hit through his defense for fun, irrespective of the court speed.

Final Verdict: Fritz to clinch the tie in three sets. At best, Thanasi will pull one set to tie-break as the American will look to finish things off quickly. Fritz’s ace count should cross 10 again even if he seals the deal in less than 30 games.