Valentin Vacherot vs Tiafoe: US Open Day 6 prediction
Frances Tiafoe is tipped to beat Valentin Vacherot in the 2026 US Open third round, with the official tournament preview calling for a straight-sets win for the American No. 11 seed. The Monaco star is in his first Flushing main draw after a Shanghai Masters title in 2025, but faces a home favorite who is 26-11 lifetime in New York.
Key Takeaways
- The US Open preview predicts Frances Tiafoe will defeat Valentin Vacherot in three sets.
- Vacherot, the No. 22 seed from Monaco, is playing his first US Open main draw after winning the 2025 Shanghai Masters.
- Tiafoe is a two-time Flushing Meadows semifinalist and into the third round for a seventh straight year.
- It is the pair’s first career meeting, with a place in the fourth round on the line Friday.
Day 6 at Flushing Meadows puts American crowd favorite Frances Tiafoe against rising Monegasque Valentin Vacherot in a third-round showdown that matters for both men’s Slam runs. For more odd and viral sports storylines, browse Bizarre World.
Who is Valentin Vacherot and why does this matchup matter?
Valentin Vacherot, 27, is the No. 22 seed and ranked No. 23—he has been as high as No. 16. The Texas A&M product became the first player from Monaco to win an ATP Tour singles title when he took the hard-court Rolex Shanghai Masters in 2025.
This year his best result was a Monte Carlo semifinal, plus three quarterfinal runs, two of them on hard courts. He is making his US Open main-draw debut after climbing over the last couple of years, so a fourth-round berth would mark a major breakthrough on the New York stage.
How did both players reach the third round?
Tiafoe, the men’s No. 11 seed and world No. 12, showed his fight in round one by rallying from two sets to one down to beat compatriot Martin Damm in five. He then cleared Japan’s Rei Sakamoto in straight sets. The 28-year-old is 26-11 lifetime in New York, his best Slam mark, and has reached the US Open semis in 2022 and 2024 plus the 2023 quarters.
Form outside the Slam also looks solid: he won his fourth ATP title at Halle in June by beating Taylor Fritz in the final, then reached the Cincinnati final before losing to Arthur Fils. Vacherot opened with a straight-sets win over Aleksandar Kovacevic and followed with a four-set victory against Kamil Adrian Majchrzak.
Who is favored to win Tiafoe vs. Vacherot?
Official US Open coverage picks Tiafoe in a decisive three sets, leaning on home comfort and experience. Betting markets listed Tiafoe as the favorite at around -200, with Vacherot near +163 at the time of writing.
Some foresight notes Tiafoe has not been fully locked in yet after a rusty opener, and Vacherot looks capable of taking a set. Still, the consensus path is the American advancing—whether in three sets per the tournament call, or in four if the Monegasque forces more tennis. Either way, Valentin Vacherot’s Flushing debut meets its sternest test yet against a player who treats this arena like home.