Ofner at a loss against the local hero?

Two out of two! The Austrian men at the US Open 2023 started successfully into the last Grand Slam event of the year on Monday and could easily prevail in the first round. For both players, a duel against a local hero is now on the agenda. According to the current betting odds, Thiem and Ofner are underdogs. The current Austrian number one seems to have almost no chance, as betting odds of up to 5.50 are offered for the match between Sebastian Ofner and Frances Tiafoe. A win for the US boy, on the other hand, attracts a maximum of 1.17.

Ofner is spat out by the current ATP computer at number 58 in the world rankings, the 25-year-old Frances Tiafoe is in the top ten in the world. This is mainly thanks to his performance last year in Flushing Meadows, when he was only stopped in the semifinals. The expectations of the American number one are correspondingly high and Ofner must not and should not be a stumbling block here. We can share this opinion and also our presented top tips for the duel between Sebastian Ofner and Frances Tiafoe speak for a prediction on the US-American.

The duel between Austria and the USA will take place a second time on Wednesday in New York, as Dominic Thiem and Ben Shelton will also face each other.

Sebastian Ofner – statistics & current form

The preparation for the US Open were not ideal for the now 27-year-old Austrian. Both at the clay court tournaments in Umag, his Austrian home Kitzbühel and on hard court in Winston Salem, the current number 58 in the world had to cope with elimination in the first round in each case. In Kitzbühel, he managed the incredible feat of losing the match in the second round despite leading the set 5-0. In Winston Salem, the unknown Alex Michelsen (number 127 in the world) was a number too big.

Risk is rewarded

The losing streak didn’t have much of an impact on the Austrian’s confidence, however. In the first round of the US Open, he showed a very risky game, which was eventually rewarded. In four sets against the Portuguese Nuno Borges, he managed to hit no less than 63 winners, which was offset by just 37 unforced errors. A very strong statistic, which finally paved his way into the second round.

To be fair, however, it must be mentioned that Borges, who is ranked just 20 places behind him in the world rankings, is himself a player who has been searching for his form for months. The defeat against Ofner was already the seventh loss in a row for the Portuguese.

His strong serve will also give Ofner some free points in the match against Tiafoe. However, he will have to increase his first serve percentage (64 percent against Borges) to cause problems for Tiafoe. As soon as the ball is in play, the US American will have a clear advantage. Borges has already taken the service from him five times, and Tiafoe can be expected to do even more as a return player. For this reason alone, the prediction for Ofner vs. Tiafoe should be based on the game handicap Tiafoe-5,5.

Frances Tiafoe – statistics & current form

Behind his compatriot Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe is currently the number two player in US tennis. The times of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras or Andy Roddick are long gone, but with Fritz and Tiafoe, the USA finally has two singles players again who can at least be counted among the extended circle of favorites. Tiafoe proved this last year when his run of success at Flushing Meadows only came to an end in the final round in a hot five-set match against Carlos Alcaraz.

Tiafoe, the all-rounder

2023, Tiafoe has been able to prove those strong performances and has a very strong 34-14 record before Wednesday’s clash. In the process, Tiafoe has earned a reputation as an all-rounder, as he has been able to lock up title wins two and three on the ATP Tour this season. In Houston, he celebrated a tournament victory on American clay, and in June he prevailed at the grass tournament in Stuttgart. Thus, Tiafoe has celebrated his three tournament victories (Delray Beach in February 2018 on hard court) all on different surfaces.

To open in New York, Tiafoe had an easy task with young wildcard player Learner Tien. The world number 700 was completely out of his depth against the top ten player. Tiafoe needed just under two hours to secure a clear victory in three sets. With a better use of chances (only 8 of 25 break points used), an even clearer victory would have been possible. Tiafoe showed a very strong performance as a return player (53 percent of won points). Thereby Tiafoe could try a lot without having much pressure. 41 mistakes should therefore not be overrated, in one or the other situation he did not play the point concentrated to the end.

Ofner will certainly be a stronger opponent in this respect, nevertheless Tiafoe as a strong returner should get quite a few opportunities also against Ofner. His 18:7 record on hard courts underlines his strength on this surface. Therefore, the low odds for Ofner against Tiafoe are absolutely comprehensible.

Sebastian Ofner – Frances Tiafoe Direct comparison / H2H-balance

Head to Head: 0:0

The two players will face each other for the first time in the second round of the 2023 US Open.

Sebastian Ofner – Frances Tiafoe Tip

Regardless of the outcome of this match, Sebastian Ofner will be able to draw a very positive conclusion for 2023. The duel against the local hero will already be his 73rd match this year. At times it is noticeable to the Austrian that the battery is gradually empty. The muggy conditions in Flushing Meadows are certainly not an advantage here. Tiafoe will be frenetically supported by the fans and for our part, a very clear victory is expected from the favorite. Thus, with Ofner against Tiafoe, the odds for the bet on Under 34.5 Games as well as the Game Handicap are a good option.

Even more than double the stakes will be tempting in this duel, if the house favorite does not show any weakness and wins in three sets. Ofner will have to take a lot of risks, which can work in some phases, but will also result in opportunities for the US boy. Five units are used as a stake in Ofner vs. Tiafoe for the tip “Frances Tiafoe 3:0”. A close first set is still possible, but as the match goes on, it becomes more and more one-sided.