Frances Tiafoe avoided an early upset at the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Wednesday when he overcame Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the round of 16.
Sporting a gold and burgundy kit akin to the colours of hometown NFL team Washington Commanders, Tiafoe earned a crucial break at 4-3 in the decider and closed out the match the following game to begin his campaign at the ATP 500 in winning fashion.
“I didn’t play the best today, but I want to win more like that,” said Tiafoe, who won 87 per cent of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “No excuses, find ways to win and you have a chance to play better in the next one.”
Tiafoe has advanced to at least the Washington quarter-finals in the past three editions, including a career-best semi-final run last year. The 27-year-old will next meet last year's finalist Flavio Cobolli, who ousted Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 7-6(3). Tiafoe leads Cobolli 1-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
In other action, #NextGenATP Learner Tien upset World No. 10 Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-2 to improve to 4-2 against Top 10 players, with all four of those wins coming this season. The American lefty frustrated Rublev with his brickwall consistency and craftiness, drawing 43 unforced errors from the 17-time tour-level titlist.
