Nur Sultan 2020: Frances Tiafoe vs Egor Gerasimov preview, head-to-head & prediction | Astana Open
Match details
Fixture: Frances Tiafoe vs Egor Gerasimov
Date: 30 October 2020
Tournament: Astana Open 2020
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: $273,345
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel
Frances Tiafoe vs Egor Gerasimov preview
Frances Tiafoe will look to reach the semifinals of the Astana Open when he takes on World No. 83 Egor Gerasimov on Friday.
Continuing his resurgence from the US Open, the Tiafoe has now reached his second ATP quarterfinal of the year with a 7-5, 6-3 upset of the second seed Miomir Kecmanovic. The 22-year-old, who had also made it to the last-eight at Delray Beach in February, has been stringing together quite a few good results since the season restart.
Following his fourth-round appearance at Flushing Meadows, Tiafoe won the ATP Challenger title in Parma earlier this month. At Nur-Sultan, he first avenged his Sardinia defeat to Corentin Moutet with a strong 6-3, 6-2 win, before beating Kecmanovic with an even more impressive display.
Egor Gerasimov meanwhile had been putting up some impressive performances of his own before the season came to a halt due to the pandemic. With a run to the final at Pune and a quarterfinal appearance at Marseille, the Belarusian reached a career-high ranking of No. 65.
Consistent results have been harder to come by since the end of lockdown though. Gerasimov was on a four-match losing streak until Cologne 2, where he won three matches from qualifying to reach the Round of 16.
The 27-year-old has brought that momentum to the Astana Open this week, notching up a couple of good performances on his way to the last-eight.
In both matches, Gerasimov had to dig deep and bring forth his fighting spirit. After a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) win over Lloyd Harris, the Belarusian turned the tables on Jiri Vesely to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 - thus avenging his loss to the Czech in the Pune final.
Frances Tiafoe vs Egor Gerasimov head-to-head
Frances Tiafoe and Egor Gerasimov have never faced each other on the ATP tour, so their head-to-head record currently stands at 0-0.
Frances Tiafoe vs Egor Gerasimov prediction
This will be a face-off between two players with a similar style of play. Both Frances Tiafoe and Egor Gerasimov rely on their strong serve and blistering forehand to dominate rallies, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top more often on Friday.
Tiafoe has struck 12 aces so far in Nur-Sultan, and lost just five points on his first serve in the second round. Gerasimov meanwhile has produced 22 aces in two matches, with 14 of them coming against the dangerous Vesely.
The quarterfinal match could possibly come down to a test of stamina. Gerasimov has spent 3 hours 51 minutes on the court, with both his matches being three-setters. Tiafoe on the other hand has been on the court for just 2 hours 43 minutes.
If this one goes the distance, Tiafoe will have the edge given that he is the fresher of the two.
Prediction: Frances Tiafoe to win in three sets.