Frances Tiafoe meets Daniel Evans in the second round of the 2020 Antwerp Open on Wednesday, October 21st 2020. Will Tiafoe put on another dominant performance, or will Evans’ grittiness and determination see him through to the quarterfinals?
Frances Tiafoe beat Dusan Lajovic in the first round in quite solid fashion, beating the Serb 6-3/7-6. Tiafoe needed that solid performance against a solid opponent to get his confidence levels up. Tiafoe has a very expansive and flamboyant game which means when he is on top of it, he can challenge the best players in the world. Tiafoe knows that he needs to improve his tennis and that next year is going to really be his year to get his career back on track. Will Tiafoe be able to book a spot here in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Antwerp open as he meets Daniel Evans in what is going to be a very tight encounter?
Daniel Evans came through a very tight encounter in the first round against Salvatore Caruso, having to win in 3 sets. After the first set it looked as if it was going to be an easy match, however Caruso was able to fight back to give himself the chance to play the third set. Evans was able to maintain his composure and get back on top of the game and win the third set 6-3, with an eventual scoreline of 6-2/3-6/6-2. Evans will have to improve his level as he meets a player in Tiafoe who will not let these ups and downs go by without taking advantage.
This is going to be the third meeting between both players and their head to head stands at 1-1. I expect this to be a tight encounter with two players who have had a tough year on the tour. Both players could win this match, but going off on recent performances, I expect this is slightly in favour of Tiafoe. Tiafoe had the tougher opponent in the first round and came through easier. Tiafoe has also been successful in other tournaments reaching the further rounds, whilst Evans has been eliminated in the first round for the majority of tournaments. I think Tiafoe will win this one.