MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 18: Frances Tiafoe of United States plays a forehand in his first round singles match against Marco Trungelliti of Argentina during day two of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 18, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images)
The in-form Frances Tiafoe begins his Stockholm Open campaign with his match in the round of 16 on Thursday against the world No. 129 Elias Ymer.
The American tennis pro is finishing the season with some exhilarating performances that should hold him in good stead going forward. In the first half of the season, Tiafoe’s notable performance came in the Estoril Open where he managed to reach the finals. He lost to Sebastian Baez in straight sets. In the Atlanta Open, Tiafoe dominated his way to the semi-finals where he lost to compatriot Jenson Brooksby. The 24-year-old produced a scintillating display at the US Open, as he reached the semi-finals of a major for the first time in his career. He defeated the mighty Rafael Nadal in the third round in Flushing Meadows.
Tiafoe lost in the semi-finals last year in the Stockholm Open against Tommy Paul. The former is coming into the tournament on the back of a run to the finals of the recently-concluded Japan Open. He lost to Taylor Fritz in a closely-contested two-set affair.
The Swedish youngster has mostly plied his trade in Challenger events this year. He reached the final in a Challenger event in Parma. His best outing came in the Maharashtra Open earlier in the year. Ymer made it to the semi-finals where he lost to the Portuguese veteran Joao Sousa.
In the recently-concluded Japan Open, Ymer won his first qualifying match but failed to win the second against Ramkumar Ramanathan. Ymer began his Stockholm Open campaign with a hard-fought win against Oscar Otte in the first round. The match ended 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3 in favor of the 26-year-old.
The head-to-head scoreline stands at 1-0 in favor of the American tennis pro. Tiafoe got the better of Ymer in last year’s Stockholm Open with a win in straight sets 6-4, 7-6.
Prediction: Frances Tiafoe to win in straight sets.
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