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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Frances Tiafoe vs Steve Johnson
Tournament: Fayez Sarofim and Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship 2023
Date: Tuesday, April 4
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Royal Oaks Country Club, Houston, USA
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: $642,735
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel/ UK - Amazon Prime Video
Frances Tiafoe vs Steve Johnson preview
Top seed Frances Tiafoe opens his Houston campaign against compatriot Steve Johnson.
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The 15th-ranked Tiafoe has made an impressive start to the season, winning 15 of his 20 matches. He won his first five matches in Team USA's victorious campaign in the inaugural United Cup Down Under. The 25-year-old, though, saw his seven-match winning run end against Karen Khachanov in the Australian Open third round.
After quarterfinal exits in Dallas and Acapulco, the 2022 US Open semifinalist made the Indian Wells semifinals (losing to Daniil Medvedev). Coming off a third-round exit in Miami, Tiafoe will look to return to winning ways in Houston, where he has a 3-4 record and made the quarterfinals last year.
Before his first-round victory over Facundo Bagnis in Houston, World No. 152 Johnson was winless (Dallas, Delray Beach) on the ATP tour this year. The Cleveland Challenger quarterfinalist fell in the opening round of qualifying at Indian Wells and Miami. Johnson, though, is returning to a happy hunting ground, where he won the title in 2017 and 2018 and has a 12-6 record.
Frances Tiafoe vs Steve Johnson head-to-head
Johnson, surprisingly, has won both his two previous meetings with his higher-ranked compatriot, with both wins coming on clay. The pair last met in the Roland Garros first round in 2021. Their first clash was in the 2018 Houston Round of 16, where Johnson beat Tiafoe en route to defending his title.
Frances Tiafoe vs Steve Johnson odds
(All odds as per BETMGM)
Frances Tiafoe vs Steve Johnson prediction
Tiafoe and Johnson are quintessential baseliners, but the similarities in their game styles end there.
The younger Tiafoe plays his best tennis on faster surfaces like hardcourt, where his strong serve, powerful hitting off either flank and elite athleticism pay rich dividends. Johnson, meanwhile, has more modest attributes on the faster surface but plays some of his best tennis when he has time to hit the ball. Two of his four singles titles have come on the red dirt.
However, Tiafoe is playing some of the best tennis of his career and has made a rousing start to the season. In contrast, Johnson has been in poor form this year, so expect the younger American to take this one.
Pick: Tiafoe in straight sets
