Nothing to gain for the Karlsruhe player?
The BOSS Open is currently being held at the Weissenhof Tennis Club for the 46th time. After a walk-through in the first round, defending champion Frances Tiafoe will start the tournament on Wednesday on the grass courts of the tennis tournament in Stuttgart. The American beat Jan-Lennard Struff 2:1 in the final a year ago. Even now, there is a lot to suggest that “Big Foe” will win the American-German duel between Frances Tiafoe and Yannick Hanfmann.
Once again, things have not gone too well for the American in the clay court season. However, in Yannick Hanfmann, Frances Tiafoe now faces a player who has only won eleven of his 26 singles matches in 2024 and is ranked just 91st in the ATP world rankings. At the French Open, the Karlsruhe native was once again eliminated in the first round. Consequently, our prediction for Frances Tiafoe against Yannick Hanfmann also leans towards the American:
Yannick Hanfmann’s CV already includes a few victories against established top 10 players. However, it should also be noted that the player from Karlsruhe, who lives primarily from his return game, clearly prefers clay court. The American, on the other hand, relies on his strong serve, which often flies around his opponents’ ears at speeds in excess of 200 km/h, as well as his powerful forehand.
This should earn Frances Tiafoe many free points on grass against Yannick Hanfmann, which is why we see little scope for surprises and are betting straightforwardly on the victory of the number 28 in the ATP world rankings. Alternatives would be to bet that the match will not be too long and will probably be decided in two sets. In this context, Tipwin also offers the bet that the match will go to a maximum of 23 games.
Frances Tiafoe – Statistics & current form
Current position in the world rankings: 28
Position in the seeding list: 4
The 26-year-old American Frances Tiafoe has been firmly established on the ATP Tour for over a decade. Since Wimbledon 2016, he has not failed to make it into the main draw of the men’s singles at a single Grand Slam tournament.
And “Big Foe” has had some memorable runs. He reached the semi-finals at the US Open in 2022 and the quarter-finals in 2023. The man from Hyattsville, Maryland, was also among the top eight players at the 2019 Australian Open
Frances Tiafoe prefers the fast surfaces
Frances Tiafoe, whose game thrives on his powerful forehand and powerful serves, is particularly strong on hard court and grass. He has also won an ATP Tour tournament on clay (ATP Houston 2023). However, the faster the court, the more difficult it is to defend his hard shots.
In Stuttgart, the 26-year-old would like to build on last year’s strong run when he won the BOSS Open. In principle, Frances Tiafoe’s chances of reaching the quarter-finals against Yannick Hanfmann are also under a good star
Frances Tiafoe with mixed results recently
It has to be said, however, that the year’s record of twelve wins and twelve defeats is not particularly frightening. Most recently, he has always finished in the second round at all Masters tournaments on clay – at the French Open even losing 1-3 to Denis Shapovalov (ATP 118), an opponent who is ranked significantly lower than the American himself.
Previously, “Big Foe” had barely managed to shake his way to a 3:2 comeback victory against Mattia Bellucci (ATP 173) in the opening match at Roland Garros, which underlines the fact that the number four seed is not tackling the mission of defending his title at the Tennis Club Weissenhof with too broad a chest. However, it is also a fact that the former top 10 player proved a year ago that the Stuttgart grass courts suit him very well
Yannick Hanfmann – statistics & current form
Current position in the world rankings: 91
Position in the seeding list: unseeded
As number 91 in the current ATP world rankings, 32-year-old Yannick Hanfmann from Karlsruhe is currently only the sixth-highest ranked DTB player. Against this background, it would take a veritable flood of withdrawals for the player from the fan-shaped city to be allowed to move up into the singles competition at the Olympic Games, for which only 56 participants are admitted (maximum four players per nation).
For the man who so clearly prefers clay courts, this is of course a bitter disappointment, even though he has struggled recently at Stade Roland Garros on the red clay, which will also be played on at this year’s Olympic Games.
Yannick Hanfmann with a weak clay court season
At the French Open 2024, the German was beaten 3-0 by Francisco Cerundolo (ATP 27) in his opening match, further clouding his poor Grand Slam record. Yannick Hanfmann won just two of the 15 men’s singles matches he played in the four Grand Slams.
Due to the early exit at Roland Garros, the 32-year-old quickly registered for a tournament on the ATP Challenger Tour in Heilbronn, where he promptly lost 0:2 in his opening match against Jan Choinski (ATP 180) from Great Britain last week. This underlines the fact that 2024 has not gone overly well for the German so far, who will probably miss his goal of playing in the Olympic Games unless there is a huge flood of withdrawals
Yannick Hanfmann with a convincing opening victory
For Frances Tiafoe against Yannick Hanfmann, the odds are now also against a win for the man from Karlsruhe, who, as a local hero in nearby Stuttgart, sold himself dearly, at least in the opening match. In his 2:0 victory over Henri Squire (ATP 178), who recently attracted attention at the French Open by reaching the second round, the veteran recorded his eleventh win in his 26th singles match in 2024.
Yannick Hanfmann, who is so strong on returns, needed just 63 minutes for the two-set victory, in which he didn’t allow a single break point against himself and converted three out of five break points played against his compatriot’s second serve, winning 57 percent of his return points. That could also be the key to winning many a match against Frances Tiafoe.
Frances Tiafoe – Yannick Hanfmann Direct comparison / H2H result
Head to head: 0:0
There has never been a scored single match between the two athletes
Frances Tiafoe – Yannick Hanfmann Tip
All in all, our prediction for Frances Tiafoe against Yannick Hanfmann is a win for the American, who as defending champion has naturally set his sights high for the BOSS Open 2024. The aggressive style of play of the 28th-ranked player in the world is ultimately much better suited to the fast grass, on which the German is likely to have major problems, especially if Frances Tiafoe’s first serve rate is high enough. The man from Hyattsville, Maryland, often reaches speeds of around 225 km/h with his powerful service, which is almost impossible to defend on grass
We also expect the defending champion to win because the man from Karlsruhe is likely to find it difficult to bring his basic return game qualities to the court on the fast surface.
