Citi Open 2022: Botic van de Zandschulp vs Frances Tiafoe preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (8) Botic van de Zandschulp vs (10) Frances Tiafoe
Tournament: Citi Open
Date: August 4, 2022
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Washington D.C., United States
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $1,953,285
Match timing: Approx. 3:30 pm local time, 7:30 pm GMT and 1 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Botic van de Zandschulp vs Frances Tiafoe
Botic van de Zandschulp and Frances Tiafoe are set to face off in the third round of the 2022 Citi Open on Thursday.
Following a first-round bye, van de Zandschulp was up against qualifier Borna Gojo. The duo traded service breaks at the start of the opening set, after which they held serve until the tie-break. The Dutch player needed five set points to bag the set and neither player got broken in the second set.
Gojo saved a match point while serving at 6-5, and then came out on top in the ensuing tiebreak. Both players were neck and neck for the better part of the third set.
Van de Zandschulp snagged the decisive break in the ninth game of the set. He stepped up to serve for the match, and after saving a break point, closed out the proceedings to win 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-4.
Tiafoe kicked off his summer hardcourt swing at last week's Atlanta Open, where he lost in the semifinals to Jenson Brooksby. He received a first-round bye at the Citi Open, after which he took on compatriot Christopher Eubanks in the second round.
The 24-year-old was the first to snatch a break to go 3-2 up in the opening set. Tiafoe broke his opponent's serve one more time to grab the first set 6-3. Both players had an opportunity to go up a break in the second set, but neither rose to the occasion.
With Eubanks serving to stay in the match at 5-4, he saved a match point for a gutsy hold of serve. The set went into a tiebreak, which was quite one-sided and Tiafoe came out on top to win the match 6-3, 7-6 (2).
#CitiOpenDMV's own @FTiafoe moves on!
He takes out Eubanks, 6-3, 7-6(2) and advances to round 3⃣ #CitiOpen https://t.co/37jzOC8qYM
Tiafoe has reached the third round of the Citi Open for the third time in his career, but is yet to progress beyond this stage.
Botic van de Zandschulp vs Frances Tiafoe head-to-head
The two have not crossed paths on tour prior to this, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Botic van de Zandschulp vs Frances Tiafoe odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Botic van de Zandschulp vs Frances Tiafoe prediction
Van de Zandschulp was pushed to the limit by Gojo in the second round, ultimately overcoming him in a three-hour long battle. He racked up a total of 14 double faults, which put him on the backfoot from time to time despite some good serving overall. The Dutchman hit 12 aces and won 83% of points on first serve.
Tiafoe had a relatively easy time against Eubanks in the previous round. He didn't lose serve even once, and when things got a little tight in the second set, he managed to get it under control to get over the finish line comfortably.
Despite his consistency from the back of the court, van de Zandschulp might find it hard to come out on top against the 24-year old, whose groundstrokes have more firepower in comparison. The crowd will also be firmly in Tiafoe's corner, giving van de Zandschulp another obstacle to overcome.
The American is in decent form at the moment and should be able to move past his opponent with ease.
Pick: Frances Tiafoe to win in straight sets.