Frances Tiafoe demonstrated resilience saving two match points to defeat the 15th-seeded Holger Rune in a thrilling Cincinnati Open semifinal clash. After the victory, the 26-year-old signed the camera, conveying his confidence ahead of the final against Jannik Sinner.
Despite an early exit at the Canadian Open, Tiafoe stayed resilient in Cincinnati, defeating Alejandro Davidovich, Lorenzo Musetti, Jiri Lehecka, and Hubert Hurckacz before taking down Rune in the semifinals.
The American struggled in the first set, losing 6-4 to the Dane. However, Tiafoe bounced back, dominating the second set 6-1. In the third set, Rune nearly closed out the match at 5-2, but Tiafoe fought back saving two match points at 4-5 and forcing a tiebreak. The American triumphed 7-6(7), securing his spot in the final.
After his emphatic victory over Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe signed the camera with a message expressing his belief in capturing the Cincinnati Open title.
“Why not me,” Tiafoe wrote on the camera
Tiafoe also became the first American to reach the Cincinnati Open final since John Isner in 2013.
“I battled, I battled and he got a little tight” – Frances Tiafoe after Cincinnati Open SF triumph
In his on-court interview, Frances Taifoe reflected on the match’s intensity, highlighting how the breeze made the conditions challenging for him. Despite this, he fought hard to stay in the game.
“Crazy, crazy. That last set was nuts. It got pretty breezy there at the end so we were kind of just playing the percentages. But yeah, I got really lucky there. I had a couple net cords, but I also battled. I competed really hard and put myself in position,” Tiafoe said ( via ATP Tour).
Tiafoe credited the lucky net cords for helping him save a match point. He also praised his performance in the tiebreaker, despite serving inconsistently towards the end.
“At 5-3 I played a really tough game, made returns. The luck goes on your side sometimes. Those net cords made a huge, huge difference. Saved one of my match points like that. But in the breaker I came up with some good shots, man. I played well, hit some good serves early, didn’t serve great at the end. But I battled, I battled and he got a little tight. One thing led to another and here we are,” he added.
With his victory over Rune, Tiafoe boosted his season record to 24-18. The American will next face Jannik Sinner, who holds a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over him.
Sinner who narrowly beat Alexander Zverev in the Cincinnati Open semifinal, has won 47 out of 52 matches this season. The Italian also performed well on hardcourt this season, clinching titles at the Australian Open, ABN Amro Open, and the Miami Open.
