6th seed Frances Tiafoe takes on Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the round of 16 of the 2023 Mexican Open.
Frances Tiafoe
The world No. 15 came into the tournament on the back of an exit in the quarterfinals of the Dallas Open. Tiafoe defeated Mackenzie McDonald in the first round before losing to J.J. Wolf in the quarterfinals.
In the round of 32 of the Mexican Open, Tiafoe had to dig deep to get the better of Yoshihito Nishioka. The first set was evenly contested but Tiafoe managed to win it in the tiebreak. The match ended 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 in favor of the American tennis pro. He smashed 9 aces and converted 2 out of 4 break points.
Feliciano Lopez
The 41-year-old is playing his 483rd ATP tournament. This is an Open Era record. He faced Christopher Eubanks in the round of 32, which was his first match since October 2022.
The experienced campaigner showed a lot of grit and determination to get past Eubanks in two competitive sets 7-6 (7-3), 6-4. In the first set, Lopez saved four set points. He smashed 11 aces in the match and had a win percentage of 81 on the first serve. This hard-fought win would have given Lopez a lot of confidence as he prepares to face a player he has defeated in the past.
Head-to-Head and Prediction
Feliciano Lopez leads the head-to-head scoreline 1-0. He defeated Tiafoe in the 2018 European Open in straight sets 6-4, 7-6.
Prediction: Frances Tiafoe to win in straight sets.
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