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Match details
Fixture: (USA) Frances Tiafoe vs (CZE) Tomas Machac
Date: 30 December 2022
Tournament: United Cup 2023
Round: Group stage
Venue: Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney, Australia
Category: United Cup
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $15,000,000
Match timing: (Dec 30) Approx. 12 noon local time, 1 am GMT, 6:30 am IST, (Dec 29) 8 pm EST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | Australia - 9Now & Stan Sport
Frances Tiafoe vs Tomas Machac preview
Frances Tiafoe and Tomas Machac are set to clash in the group stage of the 2023 United Cup on Friday.
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Tiafoe enjoyed a career-best season in 2022. His most noteworthy performance was at the US Open, where he defeated Rafael Nadal en route to a maiden Grand Slam semifinal. He lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller. He also made it to the fourth round of Wimbledon.
The American also reached a couple of finals, losing to Sebastian Beaz and Taylor Fritz in Estoril and Tokyo respectively. His heroics at the Laver Cup helped Team World win the title for the first time. The 24-year-old also advanced to the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters, just his second at the Masters 1000 level. His string of good results has led to a top 20 debut in the rankings, peaking at No. 17 so far.
Machac commenced his year by winning the Traralgon Challenger and qualifying for the Australian Open, where he made it to the second round. After some consistent results on the Challenger circuit, he made it to the second round of the Indian Wells Masters, losing to Daniil Medvedev.
Machac was out of action for a few months and upon his return in August, won a Challenger event in Poland. He made it through the qualifying rounds of the US Open but lost in the first round after that. He then continued to compete in various Challenger tournaments and even reached another final. Towards the end of the season, he finally broke into the top 100 of the rankings, peaking at No. 97 so far.
Frances Tiafoe vs Tomas Machac head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Frances Tiafoe vs Tomas Machac odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Frances Tiafoe vs Tomas Machac prediction
Machac's lack of experience against top players could prove to be a thorn in his side heading into this contest. He has faced players ranked in the top 20 just four times in his career so far and lost all of those encounters. But all players have to take the next step at some point and this could be the Czech youngster's moment to shine.
Tiafoe's booming serve and heavy forehand could give Machac a tough time on the court. The American has a lot of flair in his game and is quite the showman as well.
While Tiafoe has generally performed well over the past year, he has had some puzzling losses as well. If Machac rises to the occasion, he has the potential to score an upset win. As the underdog, he has nothing to lose here. The pressure will be on the American's shoulders, but he should be able to deal with it well to come out on top.
Pick: Frances Tiafoe to win in straight sets.
