Andy Roddick expressed his concerns over the form of his compatriot Frances Tiafoe ahead of the 25-year-old’s match against Stan Wawrinka in a Round of 32 match at the Cincinnati Open. Roddick stated that despite Tiafoe being the favorite, there are still some ‘question marks’ about his recent results. The American lost to Dan Evans in the quarter-finals of the Washington Open, and then to Milos Raonic at the Canadian Open, both ranked lower than Tiafoe himself.
Making his predictions on Tennis Channel Live, Roddick picked Tiafoe to emerge victorious over Wawrinka because the court conditions favor him. However, he did not rule out Wawrinka, admitting that the Swiss would be a good bet for the win because Tiafoe has not been in the best form.
Andy Roddick has his doubts about Frances Tiafoe
Frances Tiafoe will take on Stan Wawrinka his second game at the Cincinnati Masters, having defeated Tallon Griekspoor in the first round. Tenth seed Tiafoe is the favorite to bag the win, but Wawrinka holds a 3-0 head-to-head lead over the American. The fact that these two have a history of playing doubles together makes the match-up more interesting.
Roddick admitted that Tiafoe’s recent patchy form is concerning and raises questions. He, however, said that the surface of the court can be used by Tiafoe to his advantage to keep the ball out of Wawrinka’s strike zone. He concluded his predictions by saying that he would personally pick his countryman, but Wawrinka makes for a good bet given the odds.
“There’s a lot of question marks right now, actually. I mean I think he had a decent run in DC, stopped surprisingly by Evans in the semis (sic). And then loses first round to Milos Raonic, who’s on a comeback trail last week in Canada.
“I do like the surface for Frances. The ball is getting through the court, he can keep it out of Stan’s strike zone. So I would go with Frances but with Stan getting some bang for his buck, not a bad bet.”
Wawrinka is a +164 underdog but leads the H2H 3-0 against Tiafoe!@andyroddick and @Chanda_Rubin give their predictions on tomorrow’s match. #TCLive pic.twitter.com/m09J2tKAP3
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 16, 2023
Tiafoe will look to put an inconsistent season behind him
Frances Tiafoe’s results have been very inconsistent this season. The World No. 10 has flattered to deceive at many tournaments, often losing to lower-ranked oppositions. He has failed to make it past the Round of 32 in any of the three Grand Slam events this year so far. He fell to World No. 545 Milos Raonic in the first round of the Canada Open, something which Roddick touched upon.
Wawrinka is currently ranked 51st, so on paper, it should be a fairly easy win for Tiafoe. But as seen, he follows a trend of losing to lower-ranked opposition, and the Swiss has the pedigree to bag a victory. Tiafoe will have an eye on the upcoming US Open. He will hope to break the jinx and go deep into the Grand Slam tournament in front of his home crowd.
