Japan Open 2023: Taylor Fritz vs Shintaro Mochizuki preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Fixture: (1) Taylor Fritz vs (WC) Shintaro Mochizuki
Date: October 19, 2023
Tournament: Japan Open Tennis Championships2023
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $2,013,940
Taylor Fritz vs Shintaro Mochizuki preview
Top seed Taylor Fritz continues his campaign at the Japan Open against Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki for a place in the quarterfinals.
World No. 10 Fritz opened his quest for back-to-back Tokyo titles with a straight-set win over Cameron Norrie. The defending champion dropped four games in the opener following an early exchange of breaks to draw first blood. Fritz then conceded three games in the second set as he improved to 7-6 against Norrie.
It was an impressive performance from the 25-year-old, who blasted 13 aces as he closed out victory in one hour and 21 minutes. Fritz said after the win:
"It was really close to lose the first set. I was thinking it was going to be a three-setter. I was lucky to get the break back in the first, and, then, I felt my level picked up, and I started playing a lot more smoothly."
He's now 52-21 in a career-best season and 5-3 at the Japan Open as he seeks a fourth title of the year.
Meanwhile, the 215th-ranked Mochizuki brought up his first ATP Tour win in 11 matches with a straight-set win over Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina. After bagging the opener for the loss of four games, the 20-year-old Japanese won the second-set tiebreak to improve to 1-5 in 2023.
Taylor Fritz vs Shintaro Mochizuki head-to-head
The two players haven't locked horns before, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Taylor Fritz vs Shintaro Mochizuki odds
The odds will be updated when they release.
Taylor Fritz vs Shintaro Mochizuki prediction
Both Fritz and Mochizuki look to dominate opponents from the baseline, but the similarities in their game styles end there.
Fritz is one of the biggest servers and hardest hitters off either flank and also moves well for his height. Mochizuki, meanwhile, has more modest weapons.
Considering the American's superior experience, consistency and pedigree, especially on hardcourt, the matchup is a mismatch on paper. Fritz is one of five players with 50 wins on the ATP Tour and should have no problems seeing off Mochizuki.
