Indian Wells 2024: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Frances Tiafoe preview, head-to-head & prediction | BNP Paribas Open
Match Details
Fixture: (11) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (18) Frances Tiafoe
Date: March 10, 2024
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, US
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize Money: $8,995,555
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel/TC Plus | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Frances Tiafoe preview
Top 20 players Stefanos Tsitsipas and Frances Tiafoe are set to clash in the third round of the 2024 BNP Paribas Open on Sunday.
After a first-round bye, Tstisipas was up against qualifier Lucas Pouille. The Greek landed the first blow in the opening set as an early break of serve put him 2-1 up. With his opponent serving to stay in the set at 5-3, he snagged another break to claim the set.
Tsitsipas raised his level even more in the next set. Pouille kept pace with him for the first few games, after which the Greek bagged the last four games of the match to score a 6-3, 6-2 win.
Tiafoe was the recipient of a bye as well and began his Indian Wells campaign against Dusan Lajovic. The American broke his opponent's serve twice as he raced to a 4-1 lead in the first set.
Lajovic put up a fight as he claimed the next two games but couldn't completely make up for the lost ground. Tiafoe secured another break of serve in the final game of the set to capture it.
The second set was a bit more competitive but it was Tiafoe who raised his level when it got down to crunch time. A lone break of serve in the American's favor sealed the match for him as he registered a 6-3, 6-3 win.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Frances Tiafoe head-to-head
Tiafoe leads Tsitsipas 3-2 in the head-to-head. The American won their previous encounter at the 2022 Laver Cup in three sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Frances Tiafoe odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Frances Tiafoe prediction
Tsitsipas didn't even face a single break point against Pouille in the previous round. He also won a massive 92% of points on first serve and struck a total of 16 winners against 11 unforced errors.
Tiafoe put up a commendable performace against Lajovic in the previous round as well. He'll now aim to win back-to-back matches for just the second time this season.
The two have faced off five times before but only one of those matches took place on outdoor hardcourts. Tsitsipas came out on top on that occasion. The Greek has had an up-and-down season himself but has improved in recent weeks.
The crowd support will be in Tiafoe's favor and he's a player who ups his game when the audience gets involved as he loves to play to the crowd. Their rivalry has been a close out but given their form, Tsitsipas has a better shot at coming through this clash.
Pick: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.