Frances Tiafoe vs Alexei Popyrin Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Popyrin to win consecutive matches for the first time in 2025

It's been a challenging season for Popyrin after his stunning 2024 campaign, with the Aussie dealing with niggling injuries, along with the increased pressure and expectation that comes with being a current Masters 1000 champion. However, after securing a confidence-boosting victory over Ugo Humbert in his Monte Carlo opener, Popyrin will sense there's a chance here to return to the R16 and finally start generating some form this year.

Tiafoe has experienced an extremely short turnaround from the Houston final last weekend and needed three hours to come through his Monte Carlo opening round on Tuesday. Surely fatigue is a factor, but there's also Tiafoe's miserable record in second round matches this season - he's lost six of eight such outings. The American also hasn't won back-to-back matches on European clay since 2023 and hasn't made the R16 of a European clay Masters 1000 event since Madrid in 2019. This is a wonderful chance for Popyrin to get his 2025 season up and running.

Tiafoe leads 1-0, defeating Popyrin in four sets at the US Open last year after the Aussie had stunned Novak Djokovic in the previous round.

Tiafoe comes into this encounter with a 10-7 record on the season, getting into the positives courtesy of his run to the Houston final last week.

It was a much-needed week for Tiafoe, who ultimately went down in straight sets to Jenson Brooksby in the final.

The American was struggling for both form and motivation across the opening three months of the season, constantly getting stuck in the second round, losing six of his eight matches at that stage.

Tiafoe hasn't had much success lately on European clay, but he would have been delighted with how he stayed the course against Miomir Kecmanovic in his Monte Carlo opener, prevailing 6-2 5-7 7-6.

Popyrin has endured an even worse year than Tiafoe, coming into Monte Carlo with a dire 2-7 record and not beating a player inside the top 50.

Injuries and the increased expectation that comes with being a top 30 player contributed to Popyrin's poor start as he went winless across the Australian summer.

However, the Aussie might just be turning things around in Monte Carlo, where he claimed the scalp of Ugo Humbert 3-6 7-6 6-4 on Tuesday.

Popyrin also defeated Andrey Rublev in Monte Carlo last year on his way to the R16, so the former French Open junior champion will be hoping for another big performance at this tournament.