Frances Tiafoe continues his historical run at the U.S. Open by becoming the first American man to advance to the semifinals since 2006, reports ESPN. He’s also aiming to become the first Black male tennis player since Arthur Ashe to win a Grand Slam.
The Maryland native defeated No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0), 6-4 in front of a capacity crowd on Wednesday.
"I love to show the world what I can do," Tiafoe said after the match. "I just want to go out there and try to give the crowd what they want -- and that's me getting the win."
The entire tennis world seems to be taken by Tiafoe’s skills on the court and his magnetic personality.
"Frances is such a fantastic young man. Good things happen to good people," tournament director Stacey Allaster said. "Irrespective of how he finishes, this has been a monumental evolution in his career and he'll only build upon the learning and success of this US Open."
Throughout the match, Tiafoe was poised and intense while Rublev seemed rattled with frequent outbursts of frustration.
Tiafoe's coach, former pro player Wayne Ferreira, spoke about the immense amount of work that his star player put in this year and it's paying off at the right time. He not only put in more practice time in the gym but changed his dietary habits to ensure that he could perform at a championship level.
"It's taken time for us to get gradually to where we are today," Ferreira said. "I kind of imagined he would be at his best by the end of next year."
"Yeah, it's a great story. Hopefully, there will be a movie about it one day," he continued. "But he has to win the Grand Slam first. You only get movies if you do well."
Although Tiafoe is enjoying his moment in the spotlight, he's fully aware that his mission is not complete.
"Everyone loves a Cinderella story,” he said. “Just trying to make one."
On Friday, Tiafoe will face his next opponent Carlos Alcaraz Garfia who is the No. 3 seed in the tournament.
