Australian Open preview and odds: Jack Sock vs Taylor Fritz

Published on: 18/01/2016

Australian Open preview and odds: Jack Sock vs Taylor Fritz

January 19 2016 11:00am - Court 14

Australian Open - Round 1

The first round of the Australian Open will see two of Americas best young tennis players in action as 25th-ranked Jack Sock go head-to-head with 18-year-old newcomer Taylor Fritz.

Breakthrough year for Sock?

Jack Sock has been knocking on the door of tennis elite club for s couple of seasons now, and many have predicted that 2016 will be a breakthrough year for the 23-year-old. However, his preparations for this tournament were not helped by an illness that forced him to cut short his clash with Roberto Bautista Agut in the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland last week.

On his way to that final, Sock put in two stellar performances to overcome Kevin Anderson and David Ferrer before the virus finally caught up with him. He now faces a race against time to fully recover for this all-American first round match.

Fritz out to blitz his fellow countryman

Taylor Fritz may only be 18-years-old, but he is already catching the eye on the tour. In 2015, the youngster joined the likes of Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic in an elite group of players that have won multiple Challenger events before the age of 18.

The youngster only turned professional four months ago and wasted no time in reaching his first main draw for a Grand Slam tournament by beating Germanys Mischa Zverev on the final day of qualifying.

That victory was marked by a final set comeback in which he overcame a 0-4 deficit by winning six games in a row.

Since turning pro, 155th-ranked Fritz has bagged three ATP Challenger Tour titles and has notched up an impressive 25-4 record. He has yet to be beaten in 2016.

Betting odds and tips

This will be a tough challenge for Sock as he plays his first game after being hit by a virus. His opponent is in fine form and can be expected to at least take a set off his compatriot.

Back Over 3.5 sets at 4/7 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 18/01/2016

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (18/01/2016 12:52:20) but are subject to change.