Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai) – Photo by Icon sport
Albot vs Tiafoe: ATP Rotterdam – round of 16
Frances Tiafoe will face Radu Albot in the second round of the ATP Delray Beach tournament.
Radu Albot Profile
Radu Albot is 137 in the ATP rankings, almost 100 spots lower than his career high. The Moldovan is 7-4 for the season and 3-2 on hard surfaces. He is coming off a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win in the opening round of the main draw against Juncheng Shang. Previously, he defeated Terence Atmane and August Holmgren in straight sets in the qualifying rounds.
Last week, Albot lost in the opening round in Dallas to Dennis Kudla. He won two matches in the Davis Cup for his country and made it to the quarterfinals at the Punta del Este Challenger. Albot started the season with opening-round losses in Canberra and the Australian Open qualifiers.
Albot won Winston Salem in 2019, which is his only ATP title. He made it to the semifinals last year.
Frances Tiafoe Profile
Frances Tiafoe is 15th in the ATP rankings, and his career high is No. 10. The American is 3-5 for the season and 2-4 on hard surfaces.
He is coming off a 6-1, 6-4 quarterfinal loss to Marcos Giron in Dallas. Tiafoe made it to the second round of the Australian Open, losing to Tomas Machac after beating Borna Coric in the opener.
At the beginning of the season, he lost to Juncheng Shang in the second round in Hong Kong and lost both matches at the Kooyong exhibition.
Tiafoe won the 2018 Delray Beach tournament and has a total of three ATP titles.
Head-to-Head – Tiafoe leads 2-0
- Tiafoe vs Albot 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 (2017 ATP Acapulco, qualifiers)
- Tiafoe vs Albot 6-4, 6-4 (2015 ATP Winston Salem, qualifiers)
Prediction and Conclusion
Both players have won the ATP Winston Salem in the past, but things have changed a lot for Radu Albot since then. The Moldovan has dropped out of the top 100 and will probably never be back. Tiafoe is in his prime, and despite the poor start of the season, the American is a major favorite in this one. He is nine years younger than his opponent, moves and serves much better, and will have a dominant performance for a straight-set win.
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