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Fixture: (9) Frances Tiafoe vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Date: April 29, 2023.
Tournament: Madrid Masters 2023.
Round: Second Round (Round of 64).
Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain.
Category: Masters 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €7,705,780.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Frances Tiafoe vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry preview
After a first-round bye, Frances Tiafoe will kick off his 2023 Madrid Open campaign against Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Saturday.
Tiafoe enjoyed a strong start to the season, helping his country win the debut edition of the United Cup. He made it to the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters and reached the quarterfinals in Acapulco and Dallas as well.
The American commenced his clay swing at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston. He scored wins over Steve Johnson, Jason Kubler, Gijs Brouwer and Tomas Martin Etcheverry to win the tournament. It was his second career title and ended a five-year title drought.
Tiafoe was unable to maintain the momentum, however, as he crashed out in the second round of the Barcelona Open. While he fought quite well, he came up short in the end as he lost to Emil Ruusuvuori in three sets.
Meanwhile, Etcheverry's first-round opponent here was Adrian Mannarino. The Argentine quickly raced to a 5-1 lead in the opening set. He then lost control of the proceedings for a while as he dropped the next three games.
Etcheverry managed to close out the set on his second attempt. He raised his level going forward as the next set was quite lopsided. The 23-year-old dished out a bagel to win the match 6-4, 6-0.
Frances Tiafoe vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry head-to-head
Tiafoe leads Etcheverry 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter in the final of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in straight sets.
Frances Tiafoe vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Frances Tiafoe vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry prediction
Etcheverry scored a rather convincing win over Mannarino in the opening round. Aside from a minor stumble at the end of the first set, he outplayed his opponent in all aspects of the game.
Tiafoe and Etcheverry contested the final in Houston just a couple of weeks ago. The American managed to emerge victorious in two tie-breaks. His serve gave him the upper hand that day, helping him win quite a few easy points.
Like most of his compatriots, Etcheverry is quite at home on clay. He was able to handle Tiafoe's powerful groundstrokes quite well in Houston and his own game is well suited to the surface.
The American should expect an even tougher battle this time, but should be able to make it through to the next round.
Pick: Frances Tiafoe to win in three sets.
