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Frances Tiafoe vs Diego Schwartzman Odds & Prediction – Erste Bank Open Quarterfinals

Stephanie Myles

by Stephanie Myles in Tennis

Updated Oct 29, 2021 · 12:59 PM PDT

Frances Tiafoe vs Diego Schwartzman
Frances Tiafoe, of the United States, reacts after winning a point in a tiebreaker during his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime, of Canada, in the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 5 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
  • After his upset over No. 1 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas Thursday, Frances Tiafoe remains the underdog Friday
  • His quarterfinal vs No. 8 Diego Schwartzman at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna should begin about noon
  • Read on to see why we think Tiafoe will pull off the upset over Schwartzman

Frances Tiafoe has put himself in a position to make a few runs this year – only to end up falling at the next hurdle after pulling off an impressive upset.

Now that he’s taken out No. 1 seed and world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, he’s going to try to reverse that trend against No. 8 seed Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals.

Frances Tiafoe vs Diego Schwartzman Odds

Player Spread Moneyline Total
Frances Tiafoe (USA) +1.5 (-110) +130 O 22.5 (-110)
[8] Diego Schwartzman (ARG) -1.5 (-125) -160 U 22.5 (-125)

Odds as of Oct. 28 at DraftKings

Schwartzman vs Monfils was Showtime

Schwartzman can often be the foil against flashier players.

He either makes them go for more – and they make it. Sometimes.

Or he makes them go for more, and they eventually beat themselves.

On Thursday in Vienna, his 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-2 win over unseeded Gaël Monfils was one of those. Except both were putting on a show.

The tough, crowd-pleasing three-setter wrapped up in a touch over 2 1/2 hours.

Frances Tiafoe vs Diego Schwartzman Head-to-Head

Frances Tiafoe
VS
Diego Schwartzman
23 (Jan. 20, 1998) Age 29 (Aug. 16, 1992)
Boynton Beach, Fla. Birthplace Buenos Aires, Argentina
6-1 Height 5-7
1 Career ATP Singles Titles 4
No. 3 (Nov. 20, 2017) Career High Ranking No. 8 (Oct. 12, 2020)
No. 49 Current Ranking No. 16
$4,892,270 Career Prize Money $10,772,104
27-21 2021 Won/Loss record 37-21
0 Career Head to Head 2

Tiafoe Gets a Hand in Upset Over Tsitsipas

Tiafoe’s 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Tsitsipas Thursday was helped in some measure, by Tsitsipas himself.

Especially when you consider Tiafoe’s poor record in deciding sets this year, and Tsitsipas’s 46-7 tally after winning the first set of his matches in 2021.

But Tsitsipas, up 3-0 in the third set, let Tiafoe back into it. And the result was the biggest win of the American’s career, by ranking.

And it took a lot less time than Schwartzman’s victory – just an hour and 49 minutes for three sets.

Backing Up the Challenge for Big ‘Foe

Tiafoe has done this type of thing before in 2021. But he hasn’t backed it up.

After qualifying in Canada, he upset No. 10 (and homeboy) Denis Shapovalov in the round of 32 – only to lose in straight sets to Gaël Monfils in the next round.

He upset world No. 7 Andrey Rublev in five sets in the third round at the US Open – but lost to his mate Félix Auger-Aliassime in the next round.

This time, he has an opportunity to consolidate the big victory against an opponent he’s played tough, and who isn’t as fresh as he is.

YouTube video

Tiafoe fought a marathon against Andy Murray in the first round of Antwerp – three tiebreaks, two of them to Murray, three hours and 45 minutes in all.

But it was the first round.

While Schwartzman was grinding it out all week to the final, Tiafoe was recuperating and preparing for Vienna.

It might stand him in good stead.

Frances Tiafoe vs Diego Schwartzman Match History

Year Tournament Surface Score Winner
2021 Cincinnati (R32) Outdoor Hard 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 Schwartzman
2021 Barcelona (R32) Outdoor Clay 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 Schwartzman

Busy 10 Days for Schwartzman

While Schwartzman has looked fairly fresh in the first two rounds in Vienna, he is coming off a major effort last week to make the Antwerp final.

And there was disappointment as it was his third unsuccessful final at that tournament.

His match against Monfils Thursday was physically and mentally grueling. At some point, even the ATP’s Energizer Bunny will run out of legs. He’s traveled a lot in the last six weeks, too, going all the way back down to Argentina for Davis Cup.

YouTube video

If Tiafoe can take a set from Schwartzman on clay, he can take two on a very fast indoor hard court.

He’s 21-7 this year when winning the first set, but only 6-14 after losing it – including the win over Tsitsipas.

And he’s 9-9 in deciding sets (third or fifth sets). So Tiafoe would be well-served to wrap it up in two.

He’s playing well enough to do it. And you have to think he’s due to finally back up one of his victories.

Best Bet: Tiafoe (+130)

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