Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
Taylor Fritz is on the verge of winning the first Masters 1000 title of his career, but he’ll have to beat a legend to do it.
Fritz is set to meet Rafael Nadal on Sunday in the men’s singles final of the 2022 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The 24-year-old American upset Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-4 in Saturday’s first semifinal, while Nadal held off 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz Garfia 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the second semifinal.
The title match will be played Sunday at approximately 6 p.m. ET. You can watch the action on the Tennis Channel or live-stream it on TennisChannel.com.
The California desert has been good to Fritz, who grew up in the San Diego area. He reached the semifinals of last year’s Indian Wells Masters (held in October due to COVID delays), a breakthrough showing that kicked off the best run of form of his career. He reached the final in St. Petersburg just after Indian Wells, and also made it to the round of 16 at the Australian Open in January.
Fritz has continued to build on those successes. He was an underdog against Rublev, the world No. 7 who had put together a 13-match winning streak heading into the semifinal. Rather than be intimidated by his opponent’s lofty status, Fritz used it to his advantage, playing a loose, attacking style that left his Russian opponent visibly frustrated at times.
“I was not the favorite in today’s match and so I was able to play a little freer,” Fritz said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). “Everything was definitely flowing for me.”
While Fritz is in uncharted territory, it’s been there, done that for the 35-year-old Nadal. The world No. 4 is just a few weeks removed from winning his men’s record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. He’s also had plenty of success at Indian Wells, winning the tournament three times, most recently in 2013. Sunday will be the 53rd Masters 1000 final of his career.
Despite Nadal’s incredible form, there was a stretch on Saturday where it looked like Fritz might be facing a younger foe rather than the veteran master. Nadal had to fight hard to beat the quick, powerful Alcaraz, who many believe is a future star of the sport. The two broke each other’s serves multiple times, with Alcaraz pulling off the feat in a 19-minute game on his way to winning the second set.
Not yet ready to pass the torch to the fellow Spaniard, Nadal dug into his reserves and ultimately toughed out a third set in windy conditions to win his 20th match in a row. This will be his fourth final of the calendar year.
Fritz and Nadal haven’t faced each other in ATP competition, so this will be an interesting test for both players. Fritz’s semifinal was relatively straightforward, so he might be a little fresher than Nadal, who took more than three hours to beat Alcaraz. But if there’s anyone in the sport who has an extra store of energy, it’s the athletic Nadal. Even if his legs aren’t quite under him, he has the defensive skills to hang in there and grind out points.
Fritz might not be able to play as freely as he did on Saturday with the pressure of a final on his home soil hanging over him. He’s hoping to become the first American man since Andre Agassi in 2001 to win the Indian Wells Masters. There’s a chance he comes up just short.
Look for Nadal to take advantage of Fritz’s mistakes and win his 21st consecutive match on Sunday.
Prediction: Nadal wins in three sets
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