Aslan Karatsev vs Frances Tiafoe Prediction: Karatsev has a chance to win

Aslan Karatsev will face the American, Frances Tiafoe, the 10th ranked player in the world, in the second round of the tournament in Washington. Not so long ago, namely in June 2023, Tiafoe beat Karatsev at Roland Garros in 4 sets. Given this fact, it should come as no surprise that Tiafoe is quoted as a big favorite for the upcoming game.

Karatsev beat Australian Pannu quite confidently in the first round of the Washington tournament. Aslan only had problems in that game in the first set, which ended in a tie-break. In the second game, Pannu managed to win only one game; it is obvious that the Russian found his game and got used to the local courts. After the grass part of the season, the tournament in Washington is Karatsev's first hard-court tournament. Karatsev has played 11 matches on hard court this season, winning six and losing five.

We haven't seen Tiafoe since Wimbledon, where the American reached the third round and lost to Dimitrov in three games. Despite the poor result in London, Tiafoe is currently a top ten ATP-ranked tennis player, thanks to his recent win at the Stuttgart tournament. In 2023, Francis played 20 matches on a hard court, winning 15.

Bookmakers believe Tiafoe will have no problem overcoming Karatsev; we wouldn't be so sure about that. Aslan has game practice at the tournament in Washington, unlike the American. And not so long ago, Karatsev was in the top 30 of the rankings, so underestimating the Russian is dangerous. Tiafoe has done well on grass courts, but whether he will be able to perform as well at his first hard-court tournament after a break is a question. We bet on a long match in which Karatsev can win.