Dallas Open 2024: Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Fixture: (1) Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen
Date: February 8, 2024
Tournament: Dallas Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex, Dallas, Texas
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize Money: $756,020
Live telecast: United States - Tennis Channel | United Kingdom - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen preview
Top seed Frances Tiafoe will square off against compatriot Alex Michelsen in the second round of the 2024 Dallas Open on Thursday.
Tiafoe's first tournment of the year was the Kong Kong Open. As one of the top seeds, he directly received a bye into the second round, where Miomir Kecmanovic awaited him. It was a competitive match, but the American managed to come out on top with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win.
Tiafoe then faced Shang Juncheng in the quarterfinals, but slumped to a 6-4, 6-4 defeat. The 26-year-old headed to Melbourne for the Australian Open after that. He was drawn against Borna Coric in his opener, but moved past him with a 6-3, 7-6 (7), 2-6, 6-3 victory.
Tiafoe's next opponent was Tomas Machac, who scored a 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (5) upset win over him. As the top seed at the Dallas Open, he was the recipient of a first-round bye.
Michelsen kicked off his campaign in Dallas against Tennys Sandgren. The 19-year-old broke the impasse in the first set as he nabbed the last three games to take the set.
Sandgren fought back as he captured the second set courtesy of a lone break of serve in his favor. His hopes of a comeback were put to rest in the decider as Michelsen handed him a breadstick to score a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory.
Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen head-to-head
The two have not crossed paths on the ATP Tour prior to this, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen prediction
Michelsen had a rough start to the season as he suffered back-to-back first round losses in Brisbane and Auckland. But he bounced back with a third round showing at the Australian Open, his best result at a Major so far.
Michelsen played quite well in his Dallas opener too. He blasted 32 winners against just 11 unforced errors, and won 76% of his first serve points as well. Tiafoe has looked a little flat this year and has a rather poor 2-2 record for the season so far.
Michelsen is still finding his footing on the tour as he started competing on a regular basis just last year. But he's a quick learner and has already made an ATP final too.
The gulf in their experience and achievements makes Tiafoe the favorite in this match-up, but his current form undermines that. If he's back to his best, this encounter shouldn't prove to be a challenge, otherwise the young Michelsen has the potential to send him packing.
Pick: Frances Tiafoe to win in three sets.