Predictor Picks: Why a Fritz Eastbourne hat-trick could help your team
The grass-court season continues to heat up at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne and the Mallorca Championships, both ATP 250 events. Among the stars in action across the two tournaments will be Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Ugo Humbert.
Before each tournament week, ATPTour.com looks at three players who might be good selections for fans in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor.
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Taylor Fritz — replacing 45 points
Fritz won his first ATP Tour title in Eastbourne in 2019 and claimed another trophy at the ATP 250 in 2022. Will the American claim his third over the coming week?
The seven-time tour-level champion reached the quarter-finals last week at Queen’s Club, where he earned two wins before losing to Australian Jordan Thompson. Fritz now owns a 27-12 record this season.
The 26-year-old will play Thiago Seyboth Wild or a qualifier in his opening match. Tomas Martin Etcheverry is the first seeded opponent he could face.
Jordan Thompson — replacing 45 points
The Australian entered the cinch Championships on a five-match losing streak, but has rediscovered the form that helped him win his first ATP Tour title earlier this year in Los Cabos.
Thompson has reached two of his three tour-level finals on grass, both in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. With his run at Queen’s Club, the 30-year-old has shown his comfort on the surface and will try to maintain it in Mallorca, where he will begin his tournament against Yannick Hanfmann.
The seventh seed could meet top seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals and the American has won their first two Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings. However, both of those matches were tight three-setters.
[ATP APP]Marcos Giron — replacing 20 points
It has been a memorable season for Giron, who made his second ATP Tour final earlier this year in Dallas.
The grass-court season has been especially successful for the American. The former college tennis star (UCLA) earned a victory against former World No. 1 Andy Murray in Stuttgart and triumphs against Andrey Rublev and Matteo Berrettini in Halle.
Giron is making his debut in Eastbourne, where he will try to maintain his momentum against fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo. It is a tough opener for the 30-year-old, but he has proven to not mind the challenge in recent weeks.
Bonus Ball — Taylor Fritz
Fritz, the highest-ranked player in action this week, will only be replacing 45 points, giving him an opportunity to add as many as 455 net points. Place your Bonus Ball on the American, and a title would net your team 910 points.
The Eastbourne top seed has advanced to at least the quarter-finals at six tournaments this year and historically he has enjoyed success at ATP 250 events. Fritz has won five of his seven titles at the level, to which the Rothesay International belongs.
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