Cincinnati 2022: Matteo Berrettini vs Frances Tiafoe preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick | Western & Southern Open
Match Details
Fixture: (12) Matteo Berrettini vs Frances Tiafoe
Date: August 15, 2022
Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2022
Round: First Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Mason, Ohio
Category: ATP 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $6,280,880
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sport18
Matteo Berrettini vs Frances Tiafoe preview
Twelfth seed Matteo Berrettini will take on American Frances Tiafoe in the first round of the Western and Southern Open on Monday.
Berrettini has had a stop-start season. He reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in January before losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal. He wasn't at his best thereafter and had to have minor surgery on his hand after Indian Wells.
He returned to the tour in time for the grass-court swing and won the Stuttgart Open and Queen's Club Championships back-to-back. But the Italian had to sit out Wimbledon after testing positive for COVID-19 just before the tournament began.
Berrettini went down in straight sets to Pablo Carreno Busta in the first round of the Canadian Open.
Frances Tiafoe, meanwhile, has had a consistent season, but has no title to show for it. He made the semifinals in Atlanta, the quarterfinals in Washington and the last 16 in Montreal.
Tiafoe has endured a couple of heart-breaking losses in the past few weeks against Nick Kyrgios and Taylor Fritz.
Matteo Berrettini vs Frances Tiafoe head-to-head
The duo have faced off just once on the ATP tour, with Berrettini leading 1-0 in the head-to-head. They met at the 2018 Rome Masters, with the Italian winning 6-3, 7-6(1).
Matteo Berrettini vs Frances Tiafoe odds
(All odds sourced from BetMGM)
Matteo Berrettini vs Frances Tiafoe prediction
Berrettini is the slight favorite heading into the match, although Tiafoe will fancy his chances considering his current form.
Berrettini is one of the biggest strikers on the tour. His massive serve and forehand often get the job done. Interestingly, however, Berrettini has a 11-15 win-loss record in Masters 1000 events on hardcourts. He will be determined to improve on this stat.
Matteo Berrettini in Masters 1000 on Hard
- 11-15 W/L record (0.4 win rate)
- 1-13 after losing the 1st set
- 9-12 versus lower-ranked players (2-3 versus higher-ranked)
- only 2 matches won when his ace rate was <= 14%
- 5-0 in matches with a return pts. won rate >= 40% https://t.co/PnRwWdAs7l
Tiafoe also possesses a powerful serve. At his best, the American attacks his opponents relentlessly, forcing them into errors. He hits well off both wings and can be a real handful on his day.
This has the makings of a very interesting encounter. If Berrettini can get his serve going early, he will be tough to stop. However, considering Tiafoe's form and the fact that he has more matches under his belt of late, an upset could well be on the cards.
Pick: Tiafoe in three sets.