Berrettini is also going to feel pretty good about the baseline battle in this one. Fritz has one of the best backhands on the planet, so he’s going to want to try and get into as many backhand-to-backhand exchanges as he can. But Berrettini will be happy to slice his backhand all over the court, as the slice is a powerful shot on these low-bouncing Miami courts.
When looking at the other wing, Berrettini is going to have a massive advantage. The Italian’s booming forehand will be the biggest weapon on the court in this match.
One of the main things you’re going to hear when looking into this matchup is that Fritz is 3-0 in tour-level matches against Berrettini. However, this is probably the first time these two have met in favorable conditions for the Italian. It’s also the first time they’ve met with Berrettini playing well and Fritz in questionable form.
It’s also worth noting that Berrettini’s win over de Minaur was one in which he showed off some serious mental strength. After failing to serve out the match at 6-5, Berrettini went down 6-3 in the second-set tiebreaker. Instead of folding, he fought his way back against arguably the best fighter in tennis. It just feels like he has the right mindset coming into this one, and he realizes this is an opportunity to make a 1000-level final and do some damage in climbing the rankings.
Pick: Berrettini ML (+158)
