It’s time for a blockbuster showdown in NY! Home-favorite, Taylor Fritz is all set to take on the three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud in the R16 of the 2024 US Open. Both of these tennis stars have already won 2 titles this season. Fritz’s best record has been reaching the QF of the 2023 US Open, while Ruud reached the QFs in the 2022 season. Who’s more likely to go deeper this time?

Taylor Fritz vs Casper Ruud: Preview

Fritz hasn’t yet dropped a set in this tournament. He defeated Argentina’s Francisco Comesana in the third round by 6-2,6-4,6-2. Only Matteo Berrettini gave a bit of a fight in the second round. The rest two matches have been almost a cakewalk.

Casper Ruud, on the other hand, has faced quite a few challenges on his route to the R16. He defeated China’s Bu Yunchaokete in the first round by 7-6(2),6-2,6-2, and then in the second round it took him four sets to beat Gael Monfils. However, in the third round, he faced a severe challenge at the hands of another Chinese tennis player, Shang Juncheng. Ruud beat Juncheng by 6(1)-7,3-6,6-0,6-3,6-1. What a comeback it was for the number 8! 

Fritz vs Ruud: Head-to-Head

Well, apparently, although it looks like a one-man show, if we take a deeper look, the perspectives from the previous meetings can change a bit. For example, although Ruud has an edge of 2-0 in the H2H stats on both of those occasions, Taylor Fritz gave a tough fight to the Norwegian.

• 2022 Nitto ATP Finals Round Robin: Ruud 6-3,4-6,7-6(6).
• 2024 French Open R16: Ruud 7-6(6),3-6,6-4,6-2.

Prediction: Fritz to win in five sets

Both the players have enormous potential to get the better of each other in this epic clash. However, looking at the surface, I feel the American has a slight edge this time. Even the support from the crowd may play a big role in this match. Taylor Fritz has a career win percentage of 60.1% on the hard courts, while for Ruud it’s 58.1% on the hard courts. Fritz has a 10-10 record at the US Open, on the other hand, Ruud is 14-7. Both of them are proven performers and even in the ranking Fritz (12) is just four places behind Ruud (8).

In this season, the 26-year-old American has a win-loss record of 39-16 while for Ruud it’s 45-15. The Norwegian looks slightly ahead, looking at these numbers, but Fritz’s offensive baseline game may come in handy on this surface. His venomous groundstrokes have the ability to force errors out of his opponents. If he can handle the pressure well enough in this match, then surely he can upset the number 8. Speedy conditions will definitely give him an added advantage.

Fritz can hit sharp-angle cross-court shots on both the backhands and forehands, so Ruud needs to keep an eye on this as well. Apart from that, we all know how capable Fritz is with his serves. The American tennis star has already hit 538 aces this season. So, will hitting the ace and winning the race be the mantra for Taylor Fritz in this match? Well, we must not forget about his incredible topspin lobs, too!

Talking about aces, do you know Casper Ruud has hit 30 aces in his three matches so far at the 2024 US Open? Do not go by Casper Ruud’s calm-on-court demeanor, he also has extremely lethal forehands to topple his opponents. However, his backhand isn’t as strong as his forehands and serving abilities. So Fritz can make use of this more in this match. Ruud will constantly be looking for ways to pounce on short balls and utilize his elite footwork to set up his stunning shots.

For Fritz, it’d be extremely crucial to keep Casper Ruud away from playing his natural game. It’s the battle of firepower versus a smart tactician! We expect Fritz’s fire may burn bright in home conditions, so Taylor Fritz all the way.