As we gaze upon this riveting matchup of Frances Tiafoe against the unseeded Yi Zhou, it's worth remembering that inside every underdog, there's a Tale of the Dark Horse waiting to be penned, or at least so say the authors of dime-store romantic novels.
Our dear Tiafoe, being the 13th seed, has a recent track record more up and down than a yoyo aficionado with a double espresso. Sure, he had his victories against Dimitrov, Popyrin, and even Shelton, but his losses to Nakashima and Fritz are worth keeping in mind. It's like watching Cinderella turn into a pumpkin every second ball.
On the other corner of the court, Zhou, like a diligent tourist, seems to be collecting losses as if they were fridge magnets. Zhou's performance has been less than stellar. Akhenaten would've seen more victories, and he's been dead for about three millennia. His recent loss from Nishioka, though a 0 to 0 sets, is likened to giving 'love' a whole new meaning, where 'love' equals a glaring zero.
Still, he's unseeded and has nothing to lose espect the match, which means he could pull a stunner, or, you know... not.
As I pop on my Mystic Meg hat, privately wondering if she ever got her predictions right, I can see that Frances Tiafoe, despite his roller coaster results, should enter the arena carrying the banner of favorite and may likely keep the game in his pocket. However, don't rely on a clean sweep. Tiafoe often likes to take things slow like a romantic date, probably to keep the fans entertained.
Albert's Prediction: Tiafoe in 3 sets.