Frances Tiafoe 🇺🇸 vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic 🇺🇸

🎾 ATP Washington 2025 – Round of 32 Preview

Frances Tiafoe 🇺🇸 vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic 🇺🇸

📍 Washington, D.C. | 🗓️ July 24 | 🎾 Hard (Outdoor)

🧠 Form & Context

Aleksandar Kovacevic
🔥 Breakthrough stretch: The 26-year-old American is playing his best tennis yet, with a finalist run in Los Cabos and a win over Rublev boosting his stock.
🎯 Solid hard-court results: Now 12–6 on the surface in 2025, with Montpellier and Los Cabos finals already under his belt.
🧱 More mature game: Has lost twice to Tiafoe, including here last year, but has significantly tightened his shot selection and court craft.

Frances Tiafoe
📉 Erratic 2025: Just 5–5 on hard courts this year as he searches for rhythm and consistency.
🎾 Hometown bump: The Maryland native has often saved his best for D.C., reaching multiple semifinals and feeding off the crowd’s energy.
💥 First-strike firepower: Can end points quickly with his serve-forehand combo, but struggles when forced into longer rallies or asked to build points methodically.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Don’t let the head-to-head fool you—this is a near coin-flip on form. While Tiafoe has the 2–0 edge, including a tight match here in 2024, Kovacevic enters with momentum and upgraded weapons. His improved mental toughness and higher rally tolerance could pose serious problems for Tiafoe, who remains streaky.

If Tiafoe is landing first serves and controlling pace, he can ride the crowd to early momentum. But if the match extends and he enters one of his notorious mid-match lulls, Kovacevic will pounce. He’s much better now at finishing off points from attacking positions and reading serves on the return.

This should be a night-session thriller with crowd noise, emotion, and big momentum swings. Whoever stays composed longer may take it.

🔮 Prediction

Prediction: Tiafoe in 3 sets — But Kovacevic is live. If Tiafoe doesn’t maintain urgency, an upset is very possible.