Here’s what Frances Tiafoe’s bracket looks like at the 2023 Barcelona Open: Matches and dates
The American is on a collision course with world No. 2 and defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, but he’s beaten him before so in theory, why not once more?
The field is stacked in Barcelona, which means there will be no favors done and no quarter given. If Frances Tiafoe is to advance to the business end of the tournament, he’ll have to pass some very serious tests in order to do so.
Frances Tiafoe’s bracket is as tough as it gets
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World no. 11 Frances Tiafoe will arrive at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell tournament knowing that he’s going to face some stiff competition. On the other hand, he’ll also know that of all of them, he’s beaten the best: world no. 2, Carlos Alcaraz. Back in 2021 on the very same stage, the American dismissed the teenage sensation in straight sets. Granted, a lot has happened since then, but tennis is a game in which confidence is key and Tiafoe will have good reason to have a lot of it.
Having enjoyed a bye for the first round, the 25-year-old’s first game will be in the second where he will face the winner of a contest between Alexander Bublik and Emil Ruusuvuori. Assuming he can emerge victorious from that game, he could then face No. 24 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain. If Tiafoe can see his way past that examination, it’s then that he could potentially meet Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. That’s assuming the Spaniard can do the business on his side of the bracket, which includes a possible showdown with compatriot and world No. 29, Roberto Bautista Agut. On the other side of the quarterfinal divide are the likes of world No. 4 Casper Ruud, as well as world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas.