Frances Tiafoe dreamt of reaching the finals of his hometown tournament, but he lost in the SF of the Citi Open. Now it’s time for the 2022 US Open semifinalist to make a comeback at the Canadian Open, with Alejandro Tabilo awaiting him in the R64. The Chilean has been in red-hot form this year, so Tiafoe may come across a tough challenge.

For Tabilo, this venue is not new! He was born in Toronto, Canada, and has been an active part of the Canadian tennis system since his earlier days. So, this will give him an added advantage in this match. This match has all the ingredients to be a popcorn match!

Frances Tiafoe vs Alejandro Tabilo: Preview

The ‘Big Foe’ has all the capabilities to stop this Chilean tennis star’s dream run in the 2024 season. Tiafoe reached one final, two SFs, and four QFs this season. This reflects his consistency, but he has failed to win any title so far. Tiafoe was defeated by the Floridan, Sebastian Korda in a comfortable 4-6, 4-6 in the SF of the Citi Open. He hit 8 aces but didn’t commit any double fault. He won 61% of his first serve and 63% of his second serve. However, in the breakpoint conversion, Tiafoe recorded 0/1, but gave away 2/5.

Alejandro Tabilo has already won three titles this season and also reached one final and one SF. The 27-year-old Chilean is entering this match after facing defeat in the first round at the Paris Olympics to Roman Safiullin (AIN). He was defeated by 4-6, 4-6 and if we take a look at the numbers from that match, Tabilo hit 6 aces committing just 3 double faults. He won 65% of his first serve and 50% of his second serve, but in the breakpoints, he recorded 0/2, and gave away 2/10.

Tiafoe vs Tabilo: Head-to-Head

Both of these tennis stars have met each other only once in their careers so far. The American had the last laugh in their first meeting, now it’ll be interesting to see if the Chilean’s form gives him the edge in this thrilling matchup. Tiafoe defeated Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-4 in the R16 of the 2023 Indian Wells Masters.

Prediction: Tiafoe to win in three sets

Looking at the current form of Tabilo, this match could well go a little deeper than what happened in their previous meeting. The Chilean has a win-loss record of 27-15 this year compared to just 19-18 of the American. However, some of Tiafoe’s best results have come on the hard courts, so we’d like to give him a slight edge here. He reached the QF of the 2019 Australian Open and SF of the 2022 US Open. So, when it comes to hard court, we have to think twice before snubbing ‘Big Foe’.

Tiafoe has an aggressive style of play and loves to play his games on an offensive note. Just like his name suggests, ‘Big Foe’ loves serving it big on the plate of his opponents and also has a powerful forehand. He hits a very heavy forehand compared to his flat-bouncing backhand.

Tabilo on the other hand likes to use his big lefty forehand to put his opponents into some real trouble. His left-handed forehand is usually flat or with a lot of spin. The Chilean loves hitting heavy cross-court shots into his opponent’s backhand. Can his counter-attack shots catch Tiafoe off guard? Well, looks a bit unlikely on this surface at the moment! The American is favored to move on, but Tabilo has a fair shot as well.