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THE FACTS
When is Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev on and what time does it start? Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev will take place on Saturday 19th March, 2022 – not before 20:00 (UK)
Where is Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev taking place? Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev will take place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California, USA
What surface is Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev being played on? Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev will take place on an outdoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev
What channel is Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev on in the UK? Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev will be televised live on the Amazon Prime app on Smart TVs
Where can I stream Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev in the UK? Amazon Prime subscribers can stream Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev live on Prime Video, while Tennis TV subscribers can also stream the match live
THE LOWDOWN
TAYLOR FRITZ
24-year-old Taylor Fritz set a career-high ATP world ranking of 16th back in January after reaching the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time at the Australian Open before a close defeat in five sets to Stefanos Tsitsipas. The American will match that career-high by reaching the Indian Wells final here, one better than his last run in the desert last October, after he overcame a tough battle with Miomir Kecmanovic on Friday. Fritz beat three top 10 players on his way to the semi-finals here last season before a disappointing defeat to Nikoloz Basilashvili.
ANDREY RUBLEV
24-year-old Andrey Rublev remains the dark horse for the Indian Wells title after he beat Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to reach the semi-finals without dropping one. The current world number seven could move up to world number six if he reaches the final after back-to-back titles won in February at the Open 13 in Marseille and the Dubai Tennis Championships became the ninth and 10th of his career. Rublev is riding a 13-match winning streak with just two defeats this season to Marin Cilic at the Australian Open and Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Rotterdam Open.
THE PREDICTION
This is a really tough call between in-form Andrey Rublev riding a 13-match winning streak after taking winning the ATP 250 Open 13 and ATP 500 Dubai Tennis Championships last month. The Russian’s record at those levels is something of the flat-track bully variety, especially once he finds his rhythm, but he has occasionally been found wanting at Masters level towards the latter stages. That is not to say that he is the favourite here, and that Taylor Fritz is yet to even reach a Masters final, but the American will enjoy the vast majority of the support here at Indian Wells, where he beat Rublev in their first meetings back in 2018. The pair share a finely poised head-to-head record at 2-2, with a win apiece last season for Rublev at the Dubai Tennis Championships and Fritz most recently at the Paris Masters.
It seems likely that a set goes both ways here and the shrewd move could be to back the home favourite to snatch at least one even if he loses. Fritz has won sets in three of their four matches and each of his last three rounds at Indian Wells have needed a decider.