BNP Paribas Open: Sebastian Korda vs. Frances Tiafoe 10/09/21 Tennis Prediction

We have a very entertaining matchup at Indian Wells as two American starts, Sebastian Korda and Frances Tiafoe meet here in the second round on Saturday, October 9th, 2021.

Will we see the extra experience of Frances Tiafoe and big wins in his last few tournaments get him a good match under his belt here, or will Sebastian Korda show us that he is part of the future of the top level of the ATP Tour?

Frances Tiafoe will be happy with his opening round performances, beating the always tough and unpredictable Benoit Paire in 2 sets 6-4/6-4. Frances has been able to get some strong performances under his belt this year, being able to beat the likes of Stefanos Tsitispas and Andrey Rublev. Frances is finding his rhythm again and it is good to see because when he is on top of his game he can beat almost anyone with his flamboyant and huge hitting style of tennis which can catch his opponents off guard.

Sebastian Korda is a rising star in tennis and he has been continuously making a name for himself tournament after tournament. Korda has a big serve and for a tall player he is able to stay in long rallies which allows him to wear down his opponents even when they are good returners. Sebastian has been rising up the rankings and he has established himself as one of the best youngsters out there and a future star who has top 10 potential. However, he needs to find week in and week out consistency.

Both players have met 1 time before, a few years ago at the New York Open where Frances Tiafoe won in 3 sets. Since then, Frances’ career has been up and down whilst Sebastian Korda has been on an upwards trajectory. Although Frances has been strong this year, getting some top 10 wins under his belt, when it comes to being more consistent in baseline rallies, I back Sebastian Korda more often than not. Korda is good enough to return Tiafoe’s shots and this will force Frances to go for more and hit more errors.