Tiafoe vs Shang Prediction, Odds, Line, Spread, and Picks - January 17 | 2023 Australian Open Round 2
Frances Tiafoe, the 16th seed, takes the court in the Australian Open 2023 Second Round, hoping to advance past tough qualifier Shang Juncheng. The Australian Open has had a thrilling start, and day three in Melbourne will be no different, with 16 second-round matches scheduled.
The American appears to be in for a significant tournament. He enjoys the weather and is coming off of his greatest career season. Although Frances represents a significant improvement in the caliber of competition, Juncheng had a strong qualifying campaign and impressed in his four-set victory over Oscar Otte in the first round.
Tiafoe vs Shang Betting Odds
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Tiafoe vs Shang Match Details
Fixture: Frances Tiafoe vs Juncheng Shang
Date and Time: Tuesday, January 17, 2023, at 10:30 PM ET
Venue: John Cain Arena, Melbourne Park, Australia
Tiafoe vs Shang Key Stats
Frances' flawless record helped the USA win the United Cup at the beginning of January. All five of the American's games were victories, including four straight-set victories. It should come as no surprise that he was the 1/10 favorite to win his first-round match against Daniel Altmaier.
The American ultimately prevailed, but not before suffering a late hiccup that saw him drop the third set and encounter a set point in the fourth. The American won 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (5), and 7-6 (6) to go to the next round.
While Frances' peculiar attire appears to have drawn the attention of many fans, his emphasis will be elsewhere as he strives to reduce the 43 unforced errors he made during the match. But what is notable is that the American won 84% of his first serve points, hitting a staggering 81 winners and 24 aces.
To advance to the main draw, Juncheng had to win all three of his qualifiers. Against Oscar Otte, who has a powerful serve, he was a 9/5 underdog and went on to win his first Grand Slam match.
The former ITF World No. 1 junior tennis player, now 17 years old, defeated Fernando Verdasco, Zsombor Piro, and Fábián Marozsán to get to the main draw. In his match against Otte, he prevailed 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 to secure a place in the second round.
It took Juncheng about three hours to win since he wasn't quite in the same kind of shape that had allowed him to win his maiden Challenger title in Lexington the previous year.
Tiafoe vs Shang Betting Prediction
Frances has participated in six Australian Opens but has only advanced past round two once, reaching the quarterfinals in Melbourne.
In the second round of the Australian Open, this could end up being an unfair encounter. As part of his Grand Slam warm-up, the American was in excellent shape at the United Cup.
Expect Tiafoe to come out firing against this qualifier after a solid workout in the first round of action. In this one, Frances ought to cover the spread.
Pick: Frances Tiafoe -6.5 (-105)
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