Japan Open 2022: Frances Tiafoe vs Miomir Kecmanovic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Frances Tiafoe vs Miomir Kecmanovic.
Date: October 7, 2022.
Tournament: Japan Open 2022.
Round: Quarterfinal.
Venue: Tokyo, Japan.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $1,953,285.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports.
Frances Tiafoe vs Miomir Kecmanovic preview
Fourth seed Frances Tiafoe will take on World No. 33 Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Japan Open on Friday.
Tiafoe defeated Yasutaka Uchiyama in straight sets to set up a second round encounter with Bernabe Zapata Miralles. The American was unstoppable in the opening set, dropping just one game en route to clinching it.
Zapata Miralles started the second set on a strong note as he jumped to a 3-1 lead. Tiafoe was soon able to get back on serve and leveled the score. The Spaniard then saved a couple of match points to make it 5-5. The two were evenly matched for most of the tie-break, with the 24-year-old coming out on top in the end to win 6-1, 7-6 (7).
Tiafoe has now reached his sixth quarterfinal of the season. Of the previous five, he has won three of them, including his most recent one at the US Open.
@FTiafoe produced a high-quality drop volley en route to reaching his 
th quarter-final of the season!He NICE, he been NICE 😍
🇺🇸 @FTiafoe produced a high-quality drop volley en route to reaching his 6⃣th quarter-final of the season!
@rakutenopen | #RakutenOpen https://t.co/x5ge43Knqw
Miomir Kecmanovic ousted Yoshihito Nishioka, who won the Korea Open last week, in the first round, scoring a tough three-set win. He took on eighth seed Dan Evans in the second round.
Kecmanovic bagged a break in the sixth game of the opening set to go 4-2 up. Evans had a break point in the very next game to get back on serve, but the Serb consolidated his lead with a hold. He was under pressure once again while serving out the set and needed to save a couple of break points before claiming it.
He secured a break of serve to start the second set, but Evans went on a four-game run to put himself in command of the set. The Brit soon bagged the set and took the contest to a decider.
The Serb jumped to a 4-1 lead, but Evans clawed his back into the match by winning the next four games. He served for the match at 5-4 but failed to close out the proceedings as Kecmanovic saved six match points to get back on serve. It all came down to the tie-break later on, with the 23-year-old finally winning the match 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (4).
Frances Tiafoe vs Miomir Kecmanovic head-to-head
Tiafoe leads Kecmanovic 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2020 Astana Open in straight sets.
Frances Tiafoe vs Miomir Kecmanovic odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Frances Tiafoe vs Miomir Kecmanovic prediction
While Tiafoe has made it to the quarterfinals with relative ease, Kecmanovic has been tested thoroughly on his way here. The Serb displayed commendable mental fortitude by saving multiple match points in the previous round. However, if he had held on to his lead, he wouldn't have been in that position in the first place.
Tiafoe has been quite solid on serve so far. He hit nine aces in the second round against Zapata Miralles, while winning 78% of his first serve points. He has been equally dominant from the back of the court. Kecmanovic, on his part, has been a little vulnerable on his second serve, which puts him on the back foot in the rallies later on.
Kecmanovic is certainly capable of going toe-to-toe with Tiafoe, but the American seems to be in better form and will be the favorite to come through this clash.
Pick: Frances Tiafoe to win in straight sets.