Frances Tiafoe expressed his gratitude toward the US Open crowd following another big victory at Flushing Meadows. On Wednesday, Tiafoe defeated ninth-seeded Rublev 7-6 (3) 7-6 (0) 6-4 to progress into the US Open semifinals.
Just two days earlier, Tiafoe clinched one of his biggest victories after upsetting record 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. “Man, this is wild. This is crazy. Having the biggest one of my life 24 hours ago and coming back and getting another big win.
I feel so at home on courts like this. This court is unbelievable. You guys get so far behind me, I want to play. I want to get my best. Andrey is a hell of a player, so to back it up is huge growth. It’s tough to turn the page but I did.
And now I’m in the semis. I just always find a way somehow on this court. I was trying to play some great tennis and I have been, let’s enjoy this one. We got two more guys. We got two more,” Tiafoe said after his win.
Tiafoe saw off Rublev to set up a Carlos Alcaraz clash
Tiafoe was on the verge of losing the first set, but he managed to save a break point in the 12th game and force a tie-break. In the tie-break, Tiafoe opened an early 2-0 lead and never looked back as he realized his second set point to win the first set.
The second set also went without a break as another tie-break had to decide the winner of the set. This time, Tiafoe was even more convincing as he won the second set tie-break without a point lost. After taking a two-set lead, Tiafoe earned the first break of the match in the seventh game of the third set.
Tiafoe then held on to his serve the rest of the match to complete a straight-set win. Tiafoe plays fourth-ranked Alcaraz in the US Open semifinals. It remains to be seen if Tiafoe can make his first Grand Slam final.