Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Miami Masters match.
Taylor Fritz is through to the Miami Open semi-finals for the first time in his career — but it didn’t come easy. In contrast, rising Czech talent Jakub Mensik had a much smoother path through the quarters. While the American’s fatigue could be a factor, there’s also a significant gap in ranking between the two.
Jakub Mensik
At just 19 years old, Mensik sits at No. 54 in the ATP rankings, having peaked at No. 45 earlier this year. He’s still in his first full season on tour, but he’s already producing impressive results. His 2024 campaign includes a final in Doha (ATP 250) and a quarter-final run in Shanghai. In Miami, he’s gone even further — beating Arthur Fils (7:6, 6:1) in the quarters. The Frenchman was Mensik’s third seeded victim in Florida, after stunning No. 6 Jack Draper (7:6, 7:6) and top-30 opponents earlier in the draw.
Taylor Fritz
Until the quarter-finals, Taylor Fritz had been winning relatively easily against his opponents in two sets, but Matteo Berrettini made him work hard. The American only needed to make one extra break to win the first set 7:5. In the second set, he missed several match points, first at 6:5 and 40:15, and then on the tie-break at 6:3. In the end, he had to play the deciding set almost to the very end – 7:5. In total, Taylor spent 2 hours and 45 minutes on the court.
Jakub Mensik vs Taylor Fritz Prediction
Will Mensik manage to put up a fight? In their only head-to-head meeting at the US Open, he didn’t – Fritz won in a rout (6:1, 6:2, 6:0). But that was two years ago, when the Czech had just turned 18 before the match and was ranked 206th. Moreover, Jakub was only playing his third match on the professional tour. It will be a different story now. You can safely bet on the over in total games.
