The Dallas Open 2024 has reached its second round with all the expected top-seeded players still in the tournament. Since the top 4 seeded players get a direct entry into the second round, Frances Tiafoe, the number 1 seeded player will now take the court for his first match of the tournament. It’s Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen from the USA. Who stands a better chance to win?
They will face each other in the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex at Southern Methodist University on Thursday, February 8. The match will start not before 8 PM local time. Fans can book tickets and reach there by bus, tram, or cab rides.
Frances Tiafoe is not only the biggest name in this tournament but also the best-ranked player at 14 among all participants. Tiafoe is coming on the heels of a not-so-great performance at the Australian Open earlier this year. For someone inside the Top 20 world rankings, Tiafoe would’ve wanted to go further than the second round. He won against Borna Coric of Croatia, the hottest male tennis player per a ranker poll, by 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), 2-6, 6-3. In the next match, he lost to Tomas Machac 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
In comparison to Tiafoe, Alex Michelsen fared better at the AO 2024. After beating James McCabe in the first round by 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, Michelsen advanced to the next round. He beat a much better-ranked Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
With an ATP ranking of 75, Michelsen reached the third round of the Australian Open, his best result in Grand Slams to date. He eventually lost to eventual semi-finalist Alexander Zverev by 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.
The Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen match has all the ingredients to make for a thrilling contest. However, given that it’s a big tournament i.e. an ATP 500 event, and Tiafoe has better experience and records in those, The SportsRush predicts the American to win the much-awaited Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen contest.
What does the Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen contest tell us from the past?
Apparently, the answer to the above question is very little or nothing. The tennis world has never witnessed a Frances Tiafoe vs Alex Michelsen battle in the past. While Tiafoe started his career way back in 2014-15, Michelsen is still a very young and fresh player. Before the AO, Michelsen reached the finals of the ATP Challenger Tour in February 2023, his first ATP final. He couldn’t win, but the tennis world saw what he was capable of.
The betting odds, per Tennis Tonic, pick Frances Tiafoe as the winner with odds of 1.44 vis-a-vis 2.80 for Alex Michelsen. The weather conditions should remain sublime. It will be slightly chilly at 17 degrees Celsius with no precipitation, hence very less chances of rain. The humidity will be 49% and the wind speed will be 11 km/h. It should be a great contest without any interruption.
You can stream the match in the US on Tennis Channel and Sky Sports in the UK.
