“There’s no reason for me not to be very confident,” said Taylor Fritz with brimming confidence at the Australian Open earlier this year. A healthy approach, keen to advance his agenda further on the tour, however, did not go as planned. The American powerhouse endured a slow start to the season, but being on his home soil now might help him regain the old touch. He is slated to lock horns with Matteo Gigante in the Round of 64 of the Indian Wells Masters on Saturday, March 8 – begging the question: Can he deny the 23-year-old debutant a deep run in Tennis Paradise? Let’s dive into the details.
Fritz vs Gigante: Preview
Taylor Fritz got off to a rocky start in Melbourne after leading his team USA to their second consecutive United Cup win. He exited the Happy Slam with a shock third-round loss to Gael Monfils before suffering a premature exit in Dallas as well. Despite his valiant efforts in Delray Beach thereafter, the third seed only managed to reach the quarterfinal, where Alejandro Davidovich outclassed him en route to the title clash.
Meanwhile, Gigante had to comb through three rounds of qualifying rounds before securing a place in the main draw of the BNP Paribas. The young Italian prevailed over challenges from Mitchell Krueger and Botic van de Zandschulp with relative ease but was tested in a tough three-setter against Sebastian Baez. The 23-year-old made his Grand Slam debut down under in January but, unfortunately, lost his opening-round contest against Ugo Humbert. He will perform in Indian Wells for the first time after recording a string of underwhelming results in the past weeks.
Fritz vs Gigante: Head-to-Head
Both players have never squared off against each other on the tour. The Round of 64 of the BNP Paribas Open will record their first encounter and, as a result, their current head-to-head stands nil at 0-0.
Prediction: Taylor Fritz to win in straight sets
World No. 4 Fritz has been on a roll since his incredible run in the 2024 season. He reached his maiden Slam final at the US Open and later finished as runner-up against Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals as well. The American star added the Indian Wells title to his resume in 2022 after outfoxing Rafael Nadal in the summit clash. However, he bowed out in the Round of 16, losing to Holger Rune last year. Fritz’s form is not to be taken lightly, though.
An offensive baseliner, the 27-year-old thrives off his thunderous service skills and often looks to finish points by forcing errors from his opponents. His strong groundstrokes off both wings are not only penetrative, but his sharp cross-court angles can easily make rivals run laps around him.
Gigante, on the other hand, has mainly plied his trade on the Challenger circuit. Nothing on his resume from the 2025 season suggested that he would manage to qualify for the Sunshine Double. However, the Italian player’s build-up to the tournament’s main draw has helped him acclimatize to the refurbished hardcourts – meaning he will have plenty of match practice before taking on Fritz.
Despite redefining his rather average run so far this season, Gigante will have to conjure a lot more than just an impressive performance to defeat Fritz. As a former winner of the Masters 1000 event, the third seed enjoys an advantage over him. Because of his superior experience, the Round of 64 should see Fritz advance without facing much resistance.
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