Frances Tiafoe vs. Alexei Popyrin: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Home hope Frances Tiafoe takes on Alexei Popyrin in the last 16 of the US Open and looks good to make the quarter-finals for the third year running.

Tiafoe, who is seeded 20th at Flushing Meadows, reached the semi-finals of the final Grand Slam of the season back in 2022 and appears hungry for more.

Fresh from knocking out fellow American Ben Shelton in the third round, he looks in great shape but he should also be wary of his fourth-round opponent Popyrin.

At the forefront of the Australian resurgance at this year's US Open, Popyrin snatched the headlines in the third round with his four-set victory against second seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic.

That win will have done wonders for his confidence and he will be hoping he can follow up this result with a triumph over home talent Tiafoe at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday night.

Frances Tiafoe vs. Alexei Popyrin betting picks and predictions

Frances Tiafoe to win +100

There is not a lot in it when it comes to the match betting for this contest but Tiafoe is the better pick at +100.

This is unchartered territory for Popyrin. Not only is it his first time through to the fourth round at the US Open but it is his first time reaching this stage of any Grand Slam.

What kind of impact that has psychologically depends on the player but Popyrin nonetheless lacks the experience of Tiafoe, who made the last four at Flushing Meadows in 2022 and was an Australian Open quarter-finalist in 2019.

The American is undoubtedly at his best on the hard courts and his build-up to this year's US Open featured a run to the quarter-finals of the Atlanta Open, the semi-finals of the Washington Citi Open and the final of the Cincinnati Masters.

In Cincy, he took down the likes of Hubert Hurkacz and Holger Rune before meeting Jannik Sinner in the final.

A five-set triumph over Shelton should have also done his confidence the world of good and he is the better bet to win this match.

Frances Tiafoe to win 3-1 +400

While Tiafoe has made excellent progress in New York, it has not been plain sailing and he has dropped sets in both of his completed matches.

He lost the third set against unseeded American Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round before a walkover win against Alexander Shevchenko in the second.

And last time out against 13th seed Shelton, Tiafoe trailed 2-1 before fighting back to win the last two sets.

Therefore, if he wins this match, a clean sweep of Popyrin looks unlikely.

Despite overpowering Djokovic, Popyrin should not be particularly fatigued given that match went to four sets, whereas Tiafoe's clash with Shelton lasted four hours and three minutes.

To preserve energy, Tiafoe may, therefore, be happy to let a set go if he starts to fade and a 3-1 win for the American is the way to go in the correct score betting.

Over 34.5 aces -120

One last wager which is appealing in this US Open last-16 contest is over 34.5 aces at -120.

Tiafoe struck just five aces in five sets against Shelton but he is a player known for his big serves on the hard courts and his return was also questionable in that contest as he allowed his compatriot 22 aces.

So, while Tiafoe knows how to fire them down when he gets in the groove, he can also be susceptible to conceding a few aces and that will be music to the ears of Popyrin.

The Australian is also unsurprisingly strong on serve and has struck 14, 13 and 15 aces in the US Open this season.

Given two of those matches were completed in straight sets, the ace count will surely rise for Popyrin on Sunday and bettors should expect to see plenty of them at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Frances Tiafoe vs. Alexei Popyrin odds

Frances Tiafoe +100
Alexei Popyrin -125

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.