Frances Tiafoe is back, and he played really well in his first match at the Dallas Open, so what happens in the second match against Marcos Giron?
Tiafoe is at an interesting spot in his career because this season is rather crucial to his ambitions to become a regular Top 10 player on the ATP Tour. The American needs wins, and he needs a lot of them, so starting off with a win in Dallas was crucial.
It was a typical match for him, a slow start but then a sudden rise after he got warmed up. The crucial point for Tiafoe is that he never lost track of the goal, even when his opponent played really well.
That's what he'll need in this one because he's facing Giron, who is a very solid player who doesn't give up that easily. He's had success against him in the past, but every match is different, so he'll have to take it very seriously.
Giron has beaten Tiafoe in the past, but it's been a while since that happened. It was back in 2021 in Paris, but since then, they have played three times, and Tiafoe has been able to beat Giron.
Some of those matches are very similar to this one as they were played on hard courts and on American soil. Giron wasn't able to create much trouble because he hasn't won a set in any of the last three matches played.
This makes sense when you compare their playstyles. Tiafoe's speed counters Giron's solid baseline play really well, especially since he doesn't have a lot of power or huge weapons.
Frances Tiafoe | Marcos Giron | |
3 | H2H | 1 |
67 | Rank | 14 |
30 | Age | 26 |
0-2 | 2024 W/L | 2-2 |
77-95 | Career W/L | 179-167 |
The only way for Giron here to challenge his opponent is to serve really well. I could see it happen, but I don't think it would last an entire match, so back Tiafoe to get this done, likely in straight sets.
Prediction: Frances Tiafoe to win in two set.