Cincinnati R2 previews and predictions: Musetti vs. Tiafoe, Zverev vs. Khachanov

The remaining second-round schedule in Cincinnati will be played on Thursday, when Lorenzo Musetti does battle with Frances Tiafoe. No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev is kicking off his week against Karen Khachanov.

(14) Lorenzo Musetti vs. Frances Tiafoe

It has been a tale of two very different years for Musetti and Tiafoe heading into their first-round showdown at the Western & Southern Open on Thursday. Musetti is enjoying by far his best season on tour, headlined by a pair of titles and a semifinal run at Wimbledon that has propelled him to 18th in the rankings. Tiafoe has slumped to No. 27 in the world, with a modest 20-18 record that includes only one final appearance (lost to Ben Shelton in Houston).

A competitive five-set loss to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz during third-round action at the All-England Club was promising, but Tiafoe has been mediocre at best since that result. The American did well to defeat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-6(6) on Tuesday, but Davidovich Fokina missed Wimbledon with a back injury and has mostly struggled upon his return. Musetti scraped past Nicolas Jarry 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) on Tuesday, so a full day off should serve him very well. The Italian is simply the much better player right now and he no longer excels exclusively on clay, so he should win this one.

Pick: Musetti in 2

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(3) Alexander Zverev vs. Karen Khachanov

It will be a rematch of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics final when Zverev and Khachanov meet again on Thursday. Zverev dominated that contest 6-3, 6-1 for the gold medal and now leads the head-to-head series 4-2 following a 6-1, 6-4 rout at the Miami Open earlier this season.

There is no reason to think that Khachanov will turn the tide in Cincinnati. The 22nd-ranked Russian is 4-6 in his last 10 matches dating back to Roland Garros, although he at least managed to beat Francisco Cerundolo 6-0, 6-3 to begin this week. Zverev, on the other hand, is an awesome 49-15 in 2024 and has advanced at least three rounds in a whopping eight consecutive events. It’s also worth noting that the fourth-ranked German is a former champion of this tournament (2021), so all signs point to him rolling over Khachanov yet again.

Pick: Zverev in 2

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