US Open: Andrey Rublev vs. Frances Tiafoe 9/3/21 Tennis Prediction

Fifth seeded Russian Andrey Rublev will face the unseeded American Frances Tiafoe in the Third Round of the 2021 US Open. The match is scheduled to be played on Friday September 3rd, 2021 at 8:15pm EST on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

A thrilling match is expected here at the 2021 US Open as Andrey Rublev and Frances Tiafoe do battle with a spot in the Round of 16 up for grabs. These are two of the most exciting players on the ATP Tour and the match will be filled with spectacular shot making and power tennis. Will it be the world number 7 Andrey Rublev getting the win here? Or can Frances Tiafoe use the energy from the home crowd to will himself to victory in his home event?

Andrey Rublev is currently ranked #7 on the ATP Tour and is the fifth seed here at the 2021 US Open. The Russian entered New York in good form and has continued in that vein, with wins over Ivo Karlovic and Pedro Martinez to reach this stage, losing only one set in the process. He is not quite at full strength yet but seems to be growing in confidence. When he is playing well there are very few people in the world that can handle his huge groundstrokes, and once he gets his confidence back he will be very difficult to handle. He is the favorite here against the American Frances Tiafoe but will be well aware of his opponent’s talent, and knows that he could be in trouble if he’s not at his best. This will be a huge challenge for the Russian here and if he is able to pass it then things will be looking good for him for the rest of the event.

Frances Tiafoe is unseeded here at the 2021 US Open, and is currently ranked #50 in the world. The young American is one of the most dynamic and explosive players on the ATP Tour, but has largely failed to convert that talent into consistent success. He has had a lot of bit wins over top opponents in his career but also has lost many matches that he shouldn’t, so it is hard to trust him. Tiafoe has started well here, with wins over Christopher Eubanks and Guido Pella, and while he is the underdog here against Andrey Rublev he is certainly capable of winning this match if he plays to his best. He hits the ball huge on both sides and his serve is very powerful. His main asset here will be the crowd, who is always behind him. He gets a lot of his energy from them so if he is confident and inspired by the crowd then anything can happen.

This will surprisingly be the first meeting between the two players and I am sure that it will be an instant classic. Andrey Rublev has been consistently solid over the past few years and while Frances Tiafoe tends to be very inconsistent, he seems locked in here and when he is in the zone he can compete with the world’s best. Despite looking like a mismatch on paper I am expecting this match to go the distance, and the tennis will be dynamic. Tiafoe has a good shot of causing the upset here as he feeds off the crowd, but I am going to go with the Russian here. He is just a bit more consistent and mentally strong, and that will be the difference here in a tight match. This is potentially the match of the tournament so far, and Andrey Rublev will win a close battle and advance to the Round of 16 here at the 2021 US Open.