Hanfmann overcomes Wimbledon opener for the first time?
Yannick Hanfmann will face a tough opponent in Taylor Fritz. The US American reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon last year and recorded his best ever finish at the London Grand Slam tournament. No wonder the odds are in his favour for Hanfmann against Fritz.
However, the professional from Karlsruhe is in good form at the moment. He reached the semi-finals at the recent Mallorca Open and his current 48th place in the world rankings is the best ranking in his eight-year career as a pro.
Moreover, he was even able to defeat his upcoming opponent this year. The success came at the Masters in Rome and it was his second win against a player from the top ten.
The forecast for the match between Yannick Hanfmann and Taylor Fritz is that more than 38.5 games will be played.
Yannick Hanfmann – Statistics & current form
Yannick Hanfmann can be pleased with the way his season has gone so far in 2023. For the first time, he reached a Masters quarter-final in Rome and recently things have also been going well on the green surface. Even though the southern German is not a proven grass specialist, he has already recorded four victories in six matches on this surface this year.
His most recent performance at the Mallorca Open was particularly impressive. At the tournament on the Balearic island, Hanfmann defeated last year’s winner Stefanos Tsitsipas and reached the semi-finals.
Moreover, at the previous grass court tournament in Halle, he had to bow out of the competition in the second round, but the defeat also came against the later finalist Andrey Rublev from Russia, who was in good form.
Hanfmann still has room for improvement at Wimbledon
Hanfmann has not put any major exclamation marks on Wimbledon to date, however. In his five participations in the past, he only failed to qualify in 2021. Moreover, two years ago he only made it to the first round, where he was defeated by Czech Jiří Veselý in three sets.
Against the backdrop of his recent clear improvement on grass, the match between Yannick Hanfmann and Taylor Fritz offers additional bets and odds on at least a set win for the German.
Taylor Fritz – Statistics & current form
In contrast to Hanfmann, who has yet to win a tournament on grass, the US American feels much more comfortable on the surface. The pro from San Diego has already claimed two ATP victories on grass. In June 2019 and 2022, he won the tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain, on this surface.
He also reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time last year, where he was narrowly beaten in five sets by none other than Rafael Nadal, who won the Grand Slam tournament twice and reached the final three times on top, despite his well-known preference for clay.
Furthermore, Fritz’s overall record of five ATP tournament victories also compares favourably with Hanfmann. He recorded three of these victories last year alone. The victory in Indian Wells was particularly impressive, as he defeated Rafael Nadal 2-0. It was also the first win by a local player at this prestigious tournament in the USA since a success by Andre Agassi in 2001.
US American still struggling on grass
Fritz has already triumphed again in 2023 when the 25-year-old claimed victory at the Delray Beach competition in Florida on hard court. However, the most recent yield on grass is expandable. In Stuttgart on his grass court debut this year, the right-hander bowed out in the second round after losing to Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.
The following appearance at the tournament in London’s Queen’s Club was again disappointing with a second-round loss to Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. On top of that, the dress rehearsal at his favourite tournament in Eastbourne a few days ago went completely wrong, as he even had to pack his rackets away after the first match against his compatriot Mackenzie McDonald at the competition in the British seaside resort on the English Channel.
More than a tiebreaker?
In view of this, the forecast and betting odds on at least two tiebreaks in the duel between Yannick Hanfmann and Taylor Fritz are also worth a recommendation. This is also supported by the fact that the German has generally been convincing in his service games in his most recent appearances on grass and has hardly allowed any break chances for his opponents. It is therefore to be expected that not only one set will be decided with the help of a tiebreak.
Yannick Hanfmann – Taylor Fritz Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Hanfmann and Fritz have faced each other once in the past. The duel took place at the Rome Masters 2023 on clay and ended with a 2:0 victory for the German. The player from Baden performed very well – the US American did not win more than five games in the encounter.
Yannick Hanfmann – Taylor Fritz Tip
While the German has yet to win on the ATP Tour and instead has just six Challenger victories, his opponent’s record is more successful with five ATP triumphs. Moreover, Fritz can be considered a better grass court player with two wins in Eastbourne and last year’s quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon.
The fundamental difference in class can also be easily seen in the world rankings. Hanfmann is in the top 50 for the first time, but the Californian easily tops this as number 9 in the global ranking.
Never the less, odds and bets on more than 38.5 games seem promising for the showdown between Yannick Hanfmann and Taylor Fritz. The Californian has disappointed on grass so far in 2023 and is still looking for his form on this surface.
Hanfmann, on the other hand, has played successfully on this surface recently and already beat his upcoming opponent this year at the premiere of the duel in Rome on clay. Against the background of this starting position, there is at least no sign of a clear success for the favourite from the USA.
Rather, the match should go at least over four sets and the individual rounds will be contested. The ingredients for a comparatively high number of games are therefore given in the best possible way.
