ATP Atlanta: Frances Tiafoe vs Yoshihito Nishioka; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

Frances Tiafoe is all set to take on Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the QF of the Atlanta Open. The 26-year-old American tennis star has made quite a few long runs in his previous tournaments this year, but has failed to perform when it mattered the most! Tiafoe has reached one final, one SF, and three QFs this year. Can he take advantage of the home support and come up with a title triumph in Atlanta? Well, to reach that stage, he first needs to overcome the Japanese hurdle in the QF.

Yoshihito Nishioka hasn’t been in great form this year. This will be his second QF appearance of the 2024 season. However, he has made quite a few R16 runs this year. His approach in this game will be something quite interesting to look at in this intriguing contest.

Frances Tiafoe vs Yoshihito Nishioka: Preview

Tiafoe is entering this match after defeating Russia’s Aslan Karatsev in the R16 by 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. It was his first match since his five-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the third round of Wimbledon. He hit 18 aces and committed just 3 double faults while winning 84% of his first serve and 46% of his second serve. However, when it comes to the breakpoints, the American could only manage to record 2/6 but defended 3/4.

We have seen his overall performance has been quite decent this year. He has hit 229 aces and committed 78 double faults as of now. Frances Tiafoe has won 83% of his service compared to just 18% of his return games.

Yoshihito Nishioka is entering this match after clinching a victory against the home favorite, Mackenzie McDonald in the R16. The Japanese tennis star defeated the American by 6-3, 6-4 but surprisingly, failed to hit even a single ace in the entire match. He committed 1 double fault and won 70% of his first serve and 60% of his second. Nishioka was 3/7 in the breakpoints against McDonald, but couldn’t defend the one chance McDonald had to break him.

Looking at his overall numbers in the 2024 season, he has managed to record only 32 aces so far this season. Nishioka has committed 28 doubles faults and won 78% of his service games. However, in the return games he has managed to win only 18%.

Tiafoe vs Nishioka: Head-to-Head

The two tennis stars have now played against each other four times. Currently, Tiafoe leads the H2H with a 3-1 margin.

• Their first meeting was at the 2016 Challenger Winnetka, US. In the final match, the Japanese tennis star was victorious in two sets, 6-3, 6-2.
• Then, after almost three years, they again met each other at the 2019 Estoril Open. Since then it has been a ‘Big Foe’ show. Frances Tiafoe defeated Nishioka by 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 in the R16 clash.
• The third meeting was at the Canadian Open in 2021. Here, Tiafoe took just two sets, 6-4, 6-3, to seal the deal.
• Two years later, Tiafoe defeated Nishioka 7-6, 6-4 in the R32 of the Mexican Open. Tiafoe hit 9 aces compared to just 2 of Nishioka. ‘Big Foe’ loves big serves, but will his big serves earn him a big victory in this QF clash?

Prediction: Tiafoe to win in two sets

Frances Tiafoe has won four of his last five matches, whereas Nishioka has managed to win three out of his five. Furthermore, Tiafoe has a win-loss record of 16-16 this season, compared to 12-14 of Yoshihito Nishioka. Apart from all these, if we look at their rankings, the American is currently ranked 57 spots above the Japanese tennis star. With an added home advantage, Tiafoe looks to be the favorite in this contest.

Frances Tiafoe has an aggressive and offensive style of play, whereas Nishioka has a counter-punching style. The American heavily relies on his big serves and powerful forehands to seal the deal against his opponents. On the other hand, the Japanese tend to bank on his quick movements and outstanding double-handed backhand.

He is also a good returner of the ball and can use good angles of the courts, especially the short-cross courts. So, it’s gonna be Tiafoe’s power versus Nishioka’s speed! Talking about the winner of this match, like we mentioned earlier, it’s hard to pick against the American on American soil.