Atlanta Open 2022: Frances Tiafoe vs Taro Daniel preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Frances Tiafoe vs (Q) Taro Daniel
Date: July 27, 2022
Tournament: Atlanta Open 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Atlanta, United States
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $708,530
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports
Frances Tiafoe vs Taro Daniel preview
After a first-round bye, Frances Tiafoe will square off against qualifier Taro Daniel in the second round of the 2022 Atlanta Open.
Tiafoe concluded the grass season with a maiden fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon, where he lost to David Goffin in a tough five-set encounter. His best result this year has come on clay, finishing as the runner-up at the Estoril Open.
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His early hardcourt season was pretty decent, with the American improving with each tournament that he competed in.
After consecutive first-round losses in warm-up tournaments, Tiafoe made it to the second round of the Australian Open. At the Indian Wells Open, he reached the third round where he lost to Andrey Rublev. He went a step further at the Miami Open, advancing to the fourth round before going down to Francisco Cerundolo in three sets.
Tiafoe has won just one main draw match in Atlanta in his previous four appearances. Based on his current form, he'll be aiming to make a deep run this time around.
Taro Daniel had to first go through the qualifying rounds at the Atlanta Open. He defeated Ricardas Berankis and Adrian Mannarino to secure his place in the main draw.
Up against Sebastian Korda in the first round, Daniel lost his serve thrice as he surrendered the opening set quite meekly. He raised his level in the second set, racing to a quick 3-0 lead. Korda managed to secure a break of serve but the Japanese claimed the next three games in a row to clinch the set.
Both players were evenly matched for most of the deciding set. Daniel secured the decisive break in the eighth game of the set to go 5-3 up. He then easily served out the match to win 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
This was his first victory at the main draw level since the Belgrade Open in April earlier this year.
Frances Tiafoe vs Taro Daniel head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the duo, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Frances Tiafoe vs Taro Daniel odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Frances Tiafoe vs Taro Daniel prediction
Based on their respective form, Tiafoe will be the firm favorite on paper to win this contest. But Daniel is known to trouble top players from time to time, and occasionally scores an upset win or two as well. Having knocked out the higher-ranked Korda in the first round, he will look to do the same against the World No. 29.
Daniel recovered quite well after an unconvincing start in the first round. He isn't the biggest of the servers on the tour, but still manages to defend it well. Tiafoe's serve, on the other hand, is quite the weapon when utilized well. The American will look to employ his big serve and an even bigger forehand to devastating effect.
Daniel is a great mover around the court and his ability to prolong the rallies ends up giving him the upper hand at times. While he might not be the hardest hitter on the tour, his consistency often sees him through. While he has performed well in Atlanta so far, his form otherwise doesn't indicate that he's ready to make a deep run just yet.
Tiafoe is likely to come out on top in this encounter and make a winning start to his Atlanta Open campaign.
Pick: Frances Tiafoe to win in straight sets.