The stage is set for the mega-final of the Bavarian International Tennis Championships. The home-favorite, Jan-Lennard Struff takes on the America’s hope, Taylor Fritz, in just a few hours from now. Both the players have played some extraordinary tennis en route to the finals of this prestigious 125-year-old tournament. But at the end of Super Sunday, there is going to be only one winner from this intriguing battle. Who will it be?

Jan-Lennard Struff made his professional debut on the tour in 2009, but he hasn’t yet managed to win a singles title in his entire career. He will surely be looking forward to giving his all on the court to land his first title in front of his home crowd. While Taylor Fritz has already won a title this year. But his records on the clay haven’t been too remarkable. Can Fritz win the first clay court title of his career on German soil?

Taylor Fritz vs Jan-Lennard Struff: Preview

The 26-year-old American had a stellar start to his season by reaching the QF of the 2024 AO. But he got defeated by Novak Djokovic in a four-set thriller. However, Taylor Fritz made a comeback in his next tournament and defeated his compatriot Tommy Paul in the finals of the Delray Beach Open by 6-2,6-3. After, that he was pretty much ordinary in the rest of the tournaments.

Fritz found back his winning touch in Munich. The American has lost only a single set on the road to the finals of this tournament. In his SF match, Taylor Fritz defeated Chile’s Cristian Garin by 6-3,6-4. In that match, Fritz successfully managed to hit 4 aces against the Chilean and committed only a single double fault in the entire match. His first-serve win percentage rose up to 89% and his second-serve win percentage was 63% in that match. He managed to secure only 2/11 of his breakpoints and won 10 of his service games against Garin.

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Looking at his German opponent, Struff has looked a completely different player at the Bavarian International this year. He didn’t have a great start to his season unlike the American, but with the support of the home crowd, he seems to have a different kind of energy in this tournament. The 33-year-old German tennis star hasn’t yet dropped a set in this tournament.

Jan-Lennard Struff produced a shocking result in the SF by defeating the former number 4, Holger Rune by 6-2,6-0. Absolute carnage! In the entire match, the German fired in 8 aces and committed only a single double fault. What’s more staggering is his first-serve win percentage in that match which soared high up to 95%. While his second serve win percentage was 67% against Rune. Struff won 5 of 7 breakpoints and secured 7 of his service games against the Danish tennis star. Can he repeat the same dominance against Taylor Fritz?

Fritz vs Struff: Head-to-Head

Both the tennis stars have met each other twice in their careers so far. They first met at the 2019 Wimbledon, in that match, Jan-Lennard Struff defeated Taylor Fritz by 6-4,6-3,5-7,7-6(2). However, Fritz made a comeback in their next meeting in St. Petersburg. He defeated Struff by 5-7,6-1,6-3 in the SF of that tournament. 

In that match, Fritz hit 10 aces and committed 5 double faults while Struff managed to hit only 6 aces and committed 4 double faults. The American had a win percentage on first serve at around 82% compared to just 66% of the German. Even on the second serve win percentage, Fritz (57%) was ahead of Struff (45%). Taylor Fritz won 12 of his first serves against Struff, while the German tennis star secured only 9 of his service games against Fritz. With just 4 days left before his 34th birthday, can Jan-Lennard Struff land himself a birthday present in Munich?

Both tennis stars rely heavily on their big, heavy serves. Taylor Fritz has secured a total of 169 aces and committed only 24 double faults in the entire 2024 season so far. But Jan-Lennard Struff isn’t too far either, he has hit 160 aces and committed 51 doubles faults in 2024. Fritz has won 86% of his service games this year while Struff has won 83% of it. So, this looks quite a close battle right now, but only one player will have the last laugh on Sunday. Who’ll it be?

Prediction: Fritz to win his second title in 2024 season

Taylor Fritz is making a strong case for his return to the top American tennis player spot. Coming off an impressive run in Munich, with a near guarantee of reclaiming the American #1 ranking on Monday, he faces a formidable opponent in the current German #2. However, both the players haven’t faced each other on clay before.

Both Fritz and Struff are known for their powerful serves, which they’ll undoubtedly utilize throughout the match. Neither player shies away from tight situations, so expect them to raise their level and deliver their best tennis in the crucial moments and potential tiebreaks. Struff will try to control rallies with his heavy topspin, while Fritz will counter with his flat and penetrating groundstrokes.

Fritz has a win-loss record of 12-6 this season, while Struff has an 8-9 record in 2024. However, Taylor Fritz has previously been the runner-up in junior singles at the 2015 French Open. So, Fritz knows how to bring the best out of him on the clay courts, he just needs to find his composure and build the momentum from his previous match.

However, Struff knows the surface better than Fritz. He has reached the QF and SF of this tournament many times in his career. Fritz’s offensive baseline style will challenge Struff. His powerful groundstrokes, particularly his forehand, can force errors and create winners. Fritz’s backhand might be a target for Struff’s attacks.

But if we look at the current form and conversion rate at the bigger stages of the game, Taylor Fritz clearly looks like the favorite to win this epic battle.