Lorenzo Musetti vs Frances Tiafoe Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Italian Open

Prediction published on 15/05/2023, 04:00  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 15/05/2023 at 04:00 in Tennis Predictions

Lorenzo Musetti and Frances Tiafoe will square off for the fifth time in their careers when the pair meet in the third round at the Rome Masters on Monday afternoon. Ranked 19th in the world, Musetti comes into this tournament after failing to follow up on his excellent showing in Barcelona at the Madrid Masters last month, where he was surprisingly knocked out in the opening round by qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in straight sets. Musetti had a solid clay court season last year with a record of 21-7, though this year has been notably more challenging, currently with a record of 8-7. Musetti has beaten this opponent twice before, once on clay at the Forli Challenger event in 2020 and then on the hard surface in Acapulco in 2021. The Italian retired hurt in their most recent encounter at the United Cup in January and will be looking for redemption in this one. 

Frances Tiafoe made an incredible start on the clay court this season by winning his first tournament of the year in Houston at the start of last month, overcoming the likes of Jason Kubler and Tomas Martin Etcheverry en route to his third major title. The American is now ranked 12th in the world and has a positive record of 21-7 for the year and 6-2 on the clay. Since that tournament in Houston, though, Tiafoe has struggled to follow up, suffering a first-round exit in Barcelona and a second-round disappointment at the Madrid Masters against Pedro Cahin. Tiafoe won his opening match here in Rome against qualifier Daniel Altmaier; however, it was far from a convincing win as the American was pushed hard and required three sets to overcome the German. Tiafoe beat this opponent at the Parma Challenger event in 2020 and will be hoping to repeat that result in this one.