Acapulco Open: Fritz vs Paul Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Acapulco Open as Taylor Fritz takes on Tommy Paul in the semifinals on Friday, March 3, 2023.

Will Taylor Fritz get the win? Will Tommy Paul pull off the upset? This will be an interesting one, where we have an all-American semifinal. Who will triumph and move through to the final at the 2023 Acapulco Open?

Taylor Fritz took down Frances Tiafoe in straights, playing a solid match with few lapses. Despite a low first-serve percentage, as he did all week, he simply was too consistent from the baseline for Tiafoe to really hurt him. As he takes on good friend Tommy Paul, he’ll need to focus on serving big and playing aggressively, as I feel Paul is one of the guys who can bother Fritz the longer the rallies go on here at the 2023 Acapulco Open.

Tommy Paul played a great match against Mackenzie McDonald, taking him out 6-2 6-2 to set up an exciting semifinal clash with Taylor Fritz. Paul will certainly have his chances here, but he’ll need to focus on trying to elongate the rallies and aggressively returning 2nd serves to really have a shot at this one, let’s see if the lower-ranked American can pull off the upset here and book his spot in the finals of the 2023 Acapulco Open.

Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul have met three times before, with Taylor Fritz leading the head to head 2-1. While I expect Paul to give Fritz some trouble, the American No. 1’s serve is a colossal weapon in his game that will keep things tight, and as such I also expect him to be able to capitalize on the opportunities of the return now that his rally tolerance has improved substantially over the years. Expect the higher-ranked Fritz to have the final say and advance into the championship match at the Acapulco Open.