Shanghai Masters 2024: Frances Tiafoe vs Yi Zhou preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (13) Frances Tiafoe vs (WC) Yi Zhou
Date: October 5, 2024
Tournament: Shanghai Masters 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, Shanghai, China
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hardcourt (Outdoor)
Prize Money: $8,995,555
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN | India - Sony
Frances Tiafoe vs Yi Zhou preview
13th seed Frances Tiafoe will open his 2024 Shanghai Masters campaign against local wildcard Yi Zhou on Saturday, October 5.
Tiafoe's successful North American hardcourt swing has been the highlight of his season in what has otherwise been quite a challenging year. He reached his first-ever Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati, going down to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. He subsequently reached the semifinals of the US Open, matching his previous best, but fell to compatriot and good friend Taylor Fritz.
He's yet to win a title this season, however, and has made one other final in Houston where Ben Shelton got the better of him in three epic sets. He competed last at the Japan Open but was shocked in his opener by in-form fellow American Brandon Nakashima in straight sets 7-5, 6-3. He enters Shanghai with a 30-22 match record this year.
Zhou has scarcely appeared on the professional tour, mainly competing on the Challenger and ITF circuits. He's been brilliant in the second half of the year, winning two ITF M15 and M25 titles in Tianjin, China, in July, and reaching the finals of the ITF M25 in Luzhou, China.
Zhou made his ATP main draw debut in Chengdu a couple of weeks ago and won his opener against Tseng Chun-hsin. He then lost in the following round to fifth seed Adrian Mannarino. Last week, he was defeated in his opener at the China Open by Pavel Kotov in three sets: 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.
He opened his campaign in Shanghai against Yoshihito Nishioka. Down 2-4, he was handed a free ticket into the next round after the Japanese was forced to retire due to a suspected injury.
Frances Tiafoe vs Yi Zhou head-to-head
Frances Tiafoe and Yi Zhou have yet to face off in professional competition, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Frances Tiafoe vs Yi Zhou odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Frances Tiafoe vs Yi Zhou prediction
Frances Tiafoe has been in outstanding form in the second half of the year, making his defeat in Japan last week a significant shock. Despite his impressive results over the past couple of months, he has struggled to close out matches and perform in crucial moments, which cost him dearly at both the US Open and the Laver Cup.
Yi Zhou, meanwhile, caught the attention with his performance on the professional tour over the past three weeks. Although he still has a long way to go, he has shown promise with his baseline play, especially his backhand, a weapon that could become a lethal weapon in his arsenal in the future.
Tiafoe enters this encounter as the clear favorite thanks to his greater experience in big-match situations and superior hardcourt record. While the Chinese teen has made an impressive start to his career, defeating Tiafoe may prove to be a challenging task.
Pick: Tiafoe to win in straight sets.