Team World is just inches away in sealing the deal at the Laver Cup for a third consecutive time. Currently, they are leading the race by 8-4 against Team Europe. Frances Tiafoe secured an important victory against Daniil Medvedev on Saturday. Now, he’s all set to face the German star, Alexander Zverev, in the next match. Tiafoe is now oozing with confidence after that win and we also heard him say, “…in the tie-break, I felt like I was Roger Federer, honestly.” Can this confidence bring ‘Big Foe’ yet another ‘Big Win’ against the world number 2?

Frances Tiafoe vs Alexander Zverev: Preview

After beating Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe stated, “I respect everyone, but I’m just not fearing anyone at the moment. When I’m having fun, I’m dangerous, and that’s what I’m doing right now.” If we look at his performance in the last few tournaments, we can clearly get an idea behind such claims.

Although Tiafoe hasn’t yet won a title this year, he has played some outstanding tennis in the American hard court swing. He reached the SF at the Citi Open, finals at the Cincinnati Masters, and then he also made it through to the semis at the US Open. On Frances Tiafoe beat Daniil Medvedev by 3-6,6-4,10-5 in the previous match in Berlin.

Alexander Zverev started his season with an SF appearance at the AO. After that, he won the title at the Italian Open and then even made it to the finals at the French Open and German Open. So, he has been one of the consistent performers on the Tour this season.

However, he will be entering this contest after two consecutive defeats at the hands of Taylor Fritz in the US Open(singles) and Laver Cup(in doubles). In the previous match, Fritz defeated the German by 6-4,7-5. It’ll be interesting to see if Alexander Zverev can bounce back from that disappointing loss against Tiafoe.

Tiafoe vs Zverev: Head-to-Head

Both of them have faced each other multiple times on the Tour and guess what? This will be their ninth meeting! Currently, Alexander Zverev leads the H2H scoreline by a clear-cut 7-1 margin.

• 2017 Australian Open R64: Zverev 6-2,6-3,6-4.
• 2017 Wimbledon R64: Zverev 6-3,6-4,6-3.
• 2017 Cincinnati Masters R32: Tiafoe 4-6,6-3,6-4.
• 2018 Paris Masters R32: Zverev 6-4,6-4.
• 2019 US Open R64: Zverev 6-3,3-6,6-2,2-6,6-3.
• 2019 Beijing R32: Zverev 6-3,6-2.
• 2021 Vienna Final: Zverev 7-5,6-4.
• 2023 French Open R32: Zverev 3-6,7-6(3),6-1,7-6(5).

Prediction: Zverev to win in three sets

Although Frances Tiafoe has been in red-hot form in the last few tournaments, we’re still keeping the German slightly ahead in this contest. Reason? Obviously, the H2H record has played a key role in coming up with this conclusion. Apart from that, Alexander Zverev (2) has a win-loss record of 53-17 this season, whereas Frances Tiafoe (16) has a win-loss record of 30-20.

If we take a look at their playing styles, Tiafoe has an aggressive offensive style of play. He relies heavily on his big serves and powerful forehands. In his last match against Medvedev, he won 82% of his first serve and 56% of his second serve. Apart from these, if we make a deeper analysis of his forehand shot, well, his forehands are pretty much unusual. It usually carries a heavy topspin and is driven by an unusual arm motion, but he can generate quite a lot of power in that shot.

Talking about Zverev, he is more of an aggressive baseliner who often stands way back behind the baseline and aims to hit powerful groundstrokes either for winners or to wear down his opponents. The 6ft 6 inches tall German struggles a bit at times with his pace, but his incredible height allows him to get a better reach as compared to other players. His backhands are relatively stronger than his forehands. Alexander Zverev is quite proficient in serve and volley, but at times he is seen struggling a bit with the overhead shots.

However, fans will be keen to see his ‘Big Serves’ against ‘Big Foe’ in this match. Zverev has hit 659 aces this season as of now. We’re expecting him to win the race by hitting the ace!