Cincinnati Open 2025: Frances Tiafoe vs Roberto Carballes Baena preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (10) Frances Tiafoe vs Roberto Carballes Baena

Date: August 9, 2025

Tournament: Cincinnati Open

Round: Second Round (Round of 64)

Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason, Ohio, US

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $9,193,540

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, TC Plus | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN

Frances Tiafoe vs Roberto Carballes Baena preview

Frances Tiafoe at the Canadian Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

After a first-round bye, 10th seed Frances Tiafoe will take on Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round of the Cincinnati Open 2025.

Tiafoe didn't win back-to-back matches during the hardcourt swing at the start of the season. He immediately hit the ground running once the tour moved on to clay, finishing as the runner-up in Houston. He also made the fourth round of the Madrid Open and the quarterfinals of the French Open.

The grass swing wasn't as successful for Tiafoe, concluding it with a second-round exit from Wimbledon. He resumed his hardcourt season at the Citi DC Open. He beat Aleksandar Kovacevic and Flavio Cobolli before losing to Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals. He reached the fourth round of the recently concluded Canadian Open, going down to Alex de Minaur in three sets.

While Tiafoe received a first-round bye in Cincinnati, Carballes Baena kicked off his campaign against Hugo Gaston. The Spaniard got broken in the very first game of the match but turned things around to take the set.

Carballes Baena was on the verge of victory in the second set, serving for the match at 5-3. However, Gaston nabbed the next four games to force a decider. The two were on even terms for most of the third set, until the Spaniard raised his level towards the end. He went on a three-game run to wrap up a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 win.

Frances Tiafoe vs Roberto Carballes Baena head-to-head

This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.

Frances Tiafoe vs Roberto Carballes Baena odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Frances Tiafoe
Roberto Carballes Baena

(Odds will be added once they're available)

Frances Tiafoe vs Roberto Carballes Baena prediction

Roberto Carballes Baena at the Canadian Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

After not winning back-to-back matches on hardcourts at the start of the season, Tiafoe has slowly improved his results on the surface in recent weeks. A runner-up at last year's Cincinnati Open, he will aim to continue his good run of form to make another deep run here.

Carballes Baena made a winning debut in Cincinnati, fighting past Gaston to reach the second round. It marked his third win at the Masters 1000 level this year, all on hardcourts. He also made the second round of the Canadian Open.

Carballes Baena has an even 8-8 record on hardcourts as of now. Tiafoe has taken the same number of losses, but he has also won two more matches than him. The American is generally a better performer on hardcourts than the Spaniard, and as such, he will be favored to make a winning start to his campaign here.

Pick: Frances Tiafoe to win in straight sets.

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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Edited by Rohit