Reuters
Tennis – ATP 500 – China Open – National Tennis Center, Beijing, China – September 29, 2023. Tommy Paul of the U.S. in action during his first round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia. REUTERS/Florence Lo
Reuters
Tennis – ATP 500 – China Open – National Tennis Center, Beijing, China – September 29, 2023. Tommy Paul of the U.S. in action during his first round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia. REUTERS/Florence Lo
The Delray Beach Open is one of the many outdoor hard-court tournaments played at the start of the year. It’s always a big opportunity for American tennis players to gain some points and better momentum for the rest of the year. Frances Tiafoe will play against Tommy Paul in what will become a battle of American giants – the first of two all-American semifinals.
After both of them had similar runs in 2023, Tiafoe and Paul are now standing in each other’s way to get a step closer to the title in Florida.
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Frances Tiafoe vs Tommy Paul: Preview
Tiafoe showed much-needed improvement in the 2023 season. His best results in Grand Slams came during the US Open, as he reached the quarterfinal. He also managed a semifinal run in the Indian Wells Masters. Apart from the Grand Slams and Masters, Tiafoe managed to win the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships and the Stuttgart Open. He also attained his career-high ranking of 10 in July.
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Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 20, 2022 Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. in action during his second round match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. REUTERS/Morgan Sette
In 2024, Tiafoe has not seen much luck. He lost in the second round of the Hong Kong Open and the Australian Open. Unfortunately, a similar feat would await him in the Dallas Open. Now, as he’s made his way to the semifinals without dropping a set, he will face an even more dangerous opponent in Paul.
Tommy Paul reached the semifinal of the 2023 Australian Open but couldn’t get past the fourth round in the other three Grand Slams. The Canadian Open was his best run in ATP 1000s, with another semifinal run. He also attained his career-high ranking in 2023, rising to 12. Coming into 2024, Paul lost in the second round of the Adelaide International and the third round of the Australian Open.
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However, Paul found his ground as he won the Dallas Open by beating Ben Shelton on his way to the final. In Delray Beach, he dropped one set in the fifth two rounds.
Tiafoe vs Paul: Head-to-Head
The two American players have played against each other five times, twice on the Challenger Tour and thrice on the senior ATP Tour. Tiafoe won both of their clashes in the Challenger series. Their first ATP Tour match took place in the 2020 Delray Beach Open, where Tiafoe won in two sets, 7-5, 7-6. The 2021 Stockholm Open witnessed the pair’s next bout.
Tiafoe was on his way to victory but couldn’t seal the deal, as Paul took sets two and three to win 5-7, 7-6, 6-4. They then played in the 2022 Adelaide International, and Paul won once again. But this time, his win would be a dominating 6-2, 6-3.
Prediction: Paul to take the win once again
In their clash, Paul has a better chance of winning once again. He is the one who has better momentum after winning the Dallas Open. Tiafoe has an additional crutch as he split with his coach of three years at the end of 2023 and has not been able to find the form and momentum to win consistently. Now, he will face a formidable opponent in Paul, and their head-to-head could just become 3-1.
