American Taylor Fritz is in the form of his life and playing some incredible tennis, the question is whether it will be enough for him to upset Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon Quarterfinals. We have predictions for every Quarterfinal match at Wimbledon including Novak Djokovic’s Quarterfinal match. Our panelists take a look at Wednesday’s quarterfinals featuring Rafael Nadal and the always engaging Nick Kyrgios.
Rafael Nadal vs Taylor Fritz
Jim Smith: This is another match where, despite one player being the heavy favourite (that’s Nadal in case you were wondering), it is not as clear cut as it might look on paper. Fritz has all the tools to succeed on grass and has been playing some really good tennis of late. However, it does still feel that beating Nadal in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, particularly because it is his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, might be a bridge too far for the American. Nadal in 5
Jakub Bobro: Fritz, now on an eight-match win streak, has still not dropped a set on his Wimbledon run. The American left nothing to chance against qualifier Jason Kubler, dropping just eight games. Nadal has taken his game to the next level in the last two matches. After looking a bit shaky at points in the first two rounds, the Spaniard has not dropped a set against Lorenzo Sonego and Botic Van De Zandschulp. Fritz did beat Nadal earlier this year in the Indian Wells final but while the American has looked solid and will be hard to beat, the 36-year-old Nadal seems on another level as he is chasing the Grand Slam. Nadal in 5
Jack Edward: Rafael Nadal is into his eighth quarterfinal but for the first time he has already won the first two Slams of the year. He’s never lost a quarterfinal here – under these circumstances, I wouldn’t except him to lose his first. Taylor Fritz doesn’t present much of a match-up issue unless he is serving out of his mind. Whatever mood the American turns up in, with history on the line Nadal will be way too motivated to let this opportunity slip. Nadal in 4
Nick Kyrgios vs Cristian Garin
Jim: Both of these men could fairly be described as surprise quarterfinalists, albeit for very different reasons. Kyrgios had to dig deep to win his last two matches and it is encouraging to see that he was able to do that, even if his behaviour during both was not. Garin, meanwhile, had to rally from two sets down to beat Alex de Minaur. Accordingly, there will be questions about both men’s fitness levels coming into this match, but Garin has shown rather more resilience over the course of his career than Kyrgios. Garin in 4
Jakub: The story of Garin’s tournament has been absolutely insane. I would venture to say that no one had the Chilean advancing past the first round as he was due to face last year’s finalist Matteo Berrettini. What the Chilean pulled off against De Minaur in the fourth round is incredibly impressive, coming back from two sets down to win a fifth-set tiebreak. For Kyrgios, this seems like a prime opportunity after taking out Stefanos Tsitsipas though he did struggle physically against Brandon Nakashima. The two days’ rest will do both players a world of good and though Garin will certainly look to make the match a grind, I just cannot see Kyrgios letting this opportunity slip away. Kyrgios in 4
Jack: Cristian Garin has taken full advantage of Matteo Berrettini’s unfortunate withdrawal but his run likely stops here. Nick Kyrgios’s serve alone should keep him ticking over whilst he chips away at the Chilean’s service games. I can’t see any way Kyrgios loses this match with this big a chip on his shoulder. Kyrgios in 3
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