Parma 2021: Frances Tiafoe vs Marco Cecchinato preview, head-to-head & prediction | Emilia-Romagna Open
Editor's note dated 24 May: This match has been cancelled because Frances Tiafoe has withdrawn from the tournament due to injury. Marco Cecchinato will, instead, take on qualifier Raul Brancaccio in the first round on Monday.
Match details
Fixture: Frances Tiafoe vs (WC) Marco Cecchinato
Date: TBD
Tournament: Emilia-Romagna Open 2021
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Parma, Italy
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €480,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Frances Tiafoe vs Marco Cecchinato preview
Frances Tiafoe and Marco Cecchinato will lock horns for the second time in three weeks when they take the court in the first round of the 2021 Emilia-Romagna Open.
Frances Tiafoe entered the clay swing on the back of a good run at the Miami Masters. However, his form has nosedived in a matter of weeks.
The American suffered a second-round defeat in Barcelona, after which he was bundled out in the opening round at the Estoril Open. Tiafoe then failed to qualify for the main draw at the Madrid Masters and Italian Open.
The Emilia-Romagna Open will be his last chance to find his best tennis ahead of Roland Garros and the 23-year-old will be keen to make a deep run.
However, he faces a tricky opening encounter in the form of local favorite Marco Cecchinato. Unlike Tiafoe, Cecchinato has looked in decent touch in recent weeks. The Italian made the last 16 at the Geneva Open, where he provided a stiff challenge to eventual finalist Denis Shapovalov before going down in three sets.
Frances Tiafoe vs Marco Cecchinato head-to-head
Frances Tiafoe leads Marco Cecchinato 1-0 in their head-to-head. The two squared off in the 2018 Rogers Cup, with the American winning in straight sets.
Tiafoe and Cecchinato have also played each other twice in the qualifying stages of events, splitting the meetings.
Tiafoe defeated Cecchinato 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 in the first qualifying round at the 2017 Australian Open, while their most recent encounter in the Madrid Masters this month, went the way of the Italian 7-6(4), 6-2.
Frances Tiafoe vs Marco Cecchinato prediction
Marco Cecchinato comes into this match as the firm favorite due to his recent upturn in form and his claycourt pedigree. The Italian will hope to make a mark at his home event before heading to Paris for the French Open, where he is a former semifinalist.
Frances Tiafoe, on the other hand, will be keen to turn his claycourt fortunes around, but in order to do that he will need to produce a vastly improved performance from the one he showcased against Cecchinato at Madrid.
Tiafoe struggled to make inroads into Cecchinato's service games in the Spanish capital, winning only six points on the Italian's first serve and managing just a single break point all match.
While Tiafoe certainly has the firepower to succeed on this surface, his tactics and court positioning leave a lot to be desired. Unless he can significantly raise his level, it is hard to see him finding a way past Cecchinato in Parma.
Prediction: Marco Cecchinato to win in three sets.