US Open 2022: Rafael Nadal vs Frances Tiafoe preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Rafael Nadal vs (22) Frances Tiafoe.
Date: September 5, 2022.
Tournament: US Open 2022.
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16).
Venue: New York, United States.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $60,102,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & ESPN2 | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv, Sony Ten & Sony Six.
Rafael Nadal vs Frances Tiafoe preview
22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will lock horns with home favorite Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round of the 2022 US Open on Monday.
Following wins over Rinky Hijikata and Fabio Fognini, Nadal was up against Richard Gasquet in the third round. With a perfect 17-0 winning record against him, the Spaniard would've been relieved to be up against an opponent he has dominated for so long after a couple of tough outings.
Nadal completely outclassed Gasquet in the first couple of sets, losing just one game en route to winning both of them. The Frenchman stepped up his game in the third set, becoming more aggressive with his shots and attacking weak serves. He even managed to get back on serve after dropping his serve at the start of the set.
However, it wasn't enough. Nadal secured a break of serve towards the end of the set. He closed out the proceedings with ease in the following game to win the match 6-0, 6-1, 7-5.
Fired up 🔥
@RafaelNadal captures his 30th night win on Ashe after taking out Gasquet 6-0, 6-1, 7-5.
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Frances Tiafoe reached the third round with wins over Marcos Giron and Jason Kubler, where he took on 14th seed Diego Schwartzman. The opening set was quite up-and-down, with the American coming back from multiple deficits on numerous occasions.
Schwartzman served for the set thrice and even held a couple of set points, but got broken every time. He even had three more set points in the tie-break, but Tiafoe dug deep to come out on top to win it. The second set also featured quite a few momentum shifts.
Tiafoe trailed 2-0 but won three games in a row to go 3-2 up. Schwartzman broke his opponent's serve to level the score, and after a hold of his own, led 4-3. The American then bagged the next three games to claim the set.
The duo traded breaks midway through the third set, with Tiafoe once again running away with the last three games to win the match 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4.
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Results
Rafael Nadal vs Frances Tiafoe head-to-head
Nadal leads Tiafoe 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2019 Madrid Open in straight sets.
Rafael Nadal vs Frances Tiafoe odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Rafael Nadal vs Frances Tiafoe prediction
Nadal played his best match of the tournament to defeat Gasquet in the third round. While his groundstrokes have been working quite well, his serve has been a bit inconsistent. He has recaliberated his serve to avoid aggravating his abdominal injury. However, it gives his opponents a good chance to get an edge over him, and Tiafoe will be looking to capitalize on that as well.
The American is yet to drop a set so far, but all of them have been closely contested. Tiafoe looked down and out in the first set against Schwartzman, but showed tremendous fortitude to clinch it. He'll need to display the same tenacity against the Spaniard if he is to have a shot at winning.
Both players finished their third-round matches with more winners than errors. The serve was a major distinguishing factor between them, with Nadal coughing up eight double faults compared to Tiafoe's three. But the former World No. 1 has shown that despite the deficiencies that might be plaguing his game, he's going to fight to the bitter end.
Tiafoe will be the toughest opponent Nadal has faced so far, but the Spaniard should be able to get over the finish line.
Pick: Rafael Nadal to win in four sets.