Daniil Medvedev vs Frances Tiafoe: US Open Preview and Prediction

Third seed Daniil Medvedev locks horns against homeboy, Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round of the US Open. 

The Russian has continued his rise by winning all his matches in straight sets so far. Medvedev began his campaign dismantling Federico Delbonis 6-1 6-2 6-4. He dished out another spectacular performance outlasting Christopher O'Connell 6-3 6-2 6-4 in the second round. 

The 24-year old proved to be too good for the wildcard, Jeffrey John Wolf in the third round as he emerged victorious after conceding just eight games. 

Tiafoe has obviously spent more time on court than Medvedev. The American made a strong comeback in the opener against the veteran, Andreas Seppi after losing the first set. 

A marathon clash followed in the second round as Tiafoe came out on top defeating John Millman in five sets after trailing two sets to one. He wasted no time as he overcame Marton Fucsovics in straight sets in the third round. 

Having been the runner-up in the 2019 edition of the US Open, Medvedev seems destined to have one more shot at the title. He has been following a no-nonsense approach so far and his opponents have found little chinks in his armour. 

Head to Head record 

Medvedev leads the head to head record 2-0 against Tiafoe. 

Tiafoe is into the second week of the US Open for the first time in his career and the first American man to reach the stage since 2011. "I think it's a completely different match, we're playing in the second week, I'm not defending a quarter-final like I was there [in Australia], it's going to be one to watch for sure," said Tiafoe sounding positive ahead of the clash. 

While confidence will be sky-high for Medvedev with his game ticking the right boxes ahead of bigger challenges in store, Tiafoe has had made massive strides after losing in the second round in the past three editions of the US Open. He will have to start strong against Medvedev as the Russian gives no room for complacency once he is in good touch. 

Prediction - Daniil Medvedev to win in four sets

Featured image credits: Agence France-Presse