A massive slate of fourth-round competition at the Cincinnati Masters includes a showdown between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe. Lorenzo Musetti and qualifier Jaime Faria are also taking the court.
(17) Frances Tiafoe vs. (2) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Auger-Aliassime and Tiafoe will be facing each other for the fifth time in their careers when they battle for a quarterfinal spot at the Cincinnati Open on Sunday night. The head-to-head series stands at 3-1 in favor of Auger-Aliassime, but Tiafoe won their most recent meeting — and it was a classic. On the grass courts of Halle earlier this summer, the American prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(12) after two hours and 32 minutes.
Only a week ago, Tiafoe had a procedure on his right hand to remove a cyst. It’s safe to say that it was successful. The world No. 23 has recovered swiftly to defeat Lorenzo Sonego and Learner Tien so far in Cincinnati. Now, though, Tiafoe is dealing with a leg injury that popped up during his 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over Tien on Tuesday night. Auger-Aliassime endured an injury of his own (back) that forced him to withdraw from Montreal, but suddenly he is the healthier of the two players. The fourth-ranked Canadian looked very good in routine victories over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Juan Manuel Cerundolo en route to the last 16. It’s hard to see Tiafoe winning this one with ease — and if he doesn’t, Auger-Aliassime should have the physical edge.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 3
(Q) Jaime Faria vs. (10) Lorenzo Musetti
You might forget it because of his recent injury issues, but Musetti is one of the best players in the world when healthy. The Italian’s comeback during this summer hard-court swing has been mostly encouraging. He pushed Rafael Jodar to 6-4 in the third set in Washington, D.C. and — after losing to Jodar again in Montreal — destroyed both Daniel Altmaier and Michael Zheng to begin his Cincinnati campaign.
Up next for the 10th seed on Wednesday is a first-ever showdown against Faria, who is playing the best tennis of his young career. The 23-year-old from Portugal has advanced in Cincinnati with two qualifying victories followed by defeats of Jenson Brooksby, Ben Shelton, and Adam Walton. The concern with Faria is that he has played a ton of tennis. The world No. 79 played five matches at Wimbledon (three in qualifying), five matches on clay immediately thereafter, two in Montreal, and already five in Cincinnati. Moreover, his match against Walton on Tuesday was a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) thriller. Musetti should be able to take advantage of a fatigued opponent.
Pick: Musetti in 2