Tiafoe reaches Cincinnati final after saving two match points against Rune | ATP Tour

Cincinnati

Tiafoe reaches Cincinnati final after saving two match points against Rune

On Monday he will clash with Sinner

August 19, 2024

It seemed unlikely that Frances Tiafoe would seal his place in his first Masters 1000 final on Sunday night. But against all odds he has done it and will fight for the Cincinnati Open title on Monday.

Although he was down 2-5 in the third set and faced two match points on his serve in the 10th game, the No. 27 in the PIF ATP Rankings ended up prevailing 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) in the semifinals against 15th-seeded Holger Rune.

“This is crazy. That last set was crazy,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “At the end, it was pretty windy, so we were playing with percentages. But yeah, I was very lucky. I had a couple of balls that went over the net, but I also fought. I competed really hard and put myself in position.”

Tiafoe has been slowly finding his feet on the North American swing. After quarterfinalists in Atlanta and Washington, he is now the first American to reach the Cincinnati final since John Isner in 2013. This latest win has him at No. 20 in the live rankings, one more win away from No. 17.

When the new PIF ATP Rankings are released, there will be five Americans (Taylor Fritz, Sebastian Korda, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Tiafoe) inside the Top 20 for the first time since the week of Feb. 24, 1997. The record twice came within a point of not existing, but his fight and the net belt helped him.

“Luck is on your side sometimes. The net belt made a big difference,” Tiafoe said. “I saved one of my match points that way. But in the tiebreak I had some good shots. I played well, I made some good serves at the beginning, I didn’t make a great serve at the end. But I fought, I fought and he got a little bit tense. One thing led to another and here we are.”

He will now look to become the first local to win Cincinnati since Andy Roddick in 2006. But he will face the world No. 1, against whom Tiafoe has a 1-3 record. The American has no problem acknowledging that the top favorite for Monday’s matchup at 6 p.m. local time is Sinner.

“Absolutely, for sure he is. He’s lost like five matches all year, right? He’s the favorite in every match he plays, there’s no doubt about it,” said Tiafoe, a three-time ATP Tour champion. “You have to take your hat off to a guy like him.”