French tennis player Alexandre Muller had a stellar start to his 2025 season. After clinching the title at the Hong Kong Open, he recently even made it to the finals of the Rio Open. While sharing his thoughts on his secret to recent success, Muller said, “During the preseason, I was practicing with the best player (Sinner) in the world. I think that has helped.” His incredible performances in the last few tournaments have now put him under the spotlight. He’s now all set to face America’s Frances Tiafoe in the first round (R32) of the 2025 Mexican Open. Can he beat the former world number 10 in this epic encounter in Acapulco?
Frances Tiafoe vs Alexandre Muller: Preview
Frances Tiafoe had a horrid start to his season in 2025. He has failed to deliver in each of his previous three tournaments. Tiafoe will be entering this contest following his R16 defeat to Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka by 6-3,4-6,3-6 in the R16 of the Dallas Open. Can the 27-year-old American get back to winning tracks by securing a victory against the Frenchman?
Aug 12, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Frances Tiafoe of the United States returns a ball to Gael Monfils of France (not pictured) at Aviva Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Alexandre Muller has been in red-hot form at the moment! He played quite exceptionally at the Rio Open but in the final, Muller went down to Argentina’s Sebastian Baez by 2-6,3-6. Since he has now already made two final appearances this season, he’ll be keen to make yet another deep run in his next tournament. It’ll be interesting to see how far he goes in Acapulco.
Tiafoe vs Muller: Head-to-Head
Frances Tiafoe has never played against Alexandre Muller in his career before. So, currently, their H2H record is at 0-0. Who in between these two tennis stars will have the last laugh in their first encounter?
Prediction: Tiafoe to win in three sets
Beating Frances Tiafoe on the hard courts won’t be easy! He has a better record on this surface in comparison to Alexandre Muller. However, looking at Muller’s form this season, we can surely expect some fireworks in this epic battle. The Frenchman will be entering this tournament following a grueling clay court campaign in Rio. Making a transition from clay courts to hard courts is always a bit challenging, and considering all these factors we feel the American may get an edge in this battle.
Muller’s incredible performance has now helped to climb 19 spots and put him at the 41st spot in the men’s singles ranking. He currently has a win-loss record of 9-3, while it’s just 3-3 at the moment from Tiafoe (18).
Now, if we look at their playing styles, Alexandre Muller is a grinder! He’s quick, consistent, and very good at rallies. His biggest weapon is his two-handed backhand and Muller can also turn defense into offense pretty swiftly. The Frenchman is often seen trying to wear down his opponents with longer rallies on the clay courts. It’ll be interesting to see if he can bring in a similar strategy on this surface against someone like ‘Big Foe.’
France Tiafoe is basically an aggressive offensive player who heavily relies on his big serves and powerful forehand. Do you know Tiafoe fired 20 aces in just 2 matches in his previous tournament? Yes, that’s how lethal he can be with his serves. Apart from that, his forehands usually carry a heavy topspin and are driven by an unusual arm motion. Frances Tiafoe is also a good returner of the ball and he prefers to hit the ball inside the baseline with a lot of power. Looking at all these aspects in his game, we feel the American fans might just say, ‘Form is temporary, but the class is permanent’ after this epic battle. So, we’re going for Tiafoe in this match!
The post ATP Acapulco: Frances Tiafoe vs Alexandre Muller; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction appeared first on EssentiallySports.