Houston Open: Tiafoe vs Johnson Tennis Prediction, Odds & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Houston Open second-round match featuring Frances Tiafoe vs Steve Johnson on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.

Tiafoe vs Johnson Match Preview

Will Frances Tiafoe get the win? Will Steve Johnson pull off the upset? This will be an interesting one, where we have the top seed taking on a former champion. Who will triumph and move through to the quarterfinals at the 2023 Houston Open?

Frances Tiafoe has been playing some of the best tennis of his life in the last year, including a great run to the semifinals of Indian Wells just a few weeks ago. Despite a disappointing loss in Miami, Tiafoe will be going into the clay season as a danger for quite a few players. Though Steve Johnson has a tricky game, it’s definitely nerfed by the clay, and considering Tiafoe is in far better form at the moment, I expect Tiafoe to grab the win and book a place in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Houston Open.

Steve Johnson has been on a decline lately, hardly winning matches in qualifiers or even in challengers. His first-round win over Bagnis was one of the few wins he’s seen in quite some time. As he takes on top 20 player Frances Tiafoe, he’ll be fully aware that he isn’t favorite. However, Tiafoe can have a bad day as we saw in Miami, and considering Tiafoe isn’t a big fan of the clay, I expect Johnson to worry Tiafoe at least a little bit as he looks for an upset win here at the 2023 Houston Open.

Tiafoe vs Johnson Prediction and Pick

Frances Tiafoe and Steve Johnson have met twice before, with Steve Johnson leading the head to head 2-0. Interestingly enough, Johnson has won both meetings against Tiafoe on the clay. One in this very tournament, and another coming from 2 sets down at the French Open. Ordinarily, I’d favor Johnson if he was still in top form simply due to that, however, in their current forms, Tiafoe will definitely get through this one, even if it may be a challenge as he looks ahead to the final eight of the 2023 Houston Open.