Hometown Hero Tiafoe Driven By Desire To Win DC Open Title

Frances Tiafoe and Genie Bouchard
Frances Tiafoe with Genie Bouchard (photo: Ben Solomon/Mubadala Citi DC Open)

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)

Imagine being professional tennis player Frances Tiafoe. He’s a hometown hero in Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital city, and he gets to play at home every year in the Mubadala Citi DC Open, the ATP/WTA combined 500-series event taking place this week at H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park.

“I think it’s a super exciting thing to play here at home every year, playing in front of friends, family, I guess compete at the highest level,” Tiafoe said during his pre-tournament news conference Monday afternoon.

“I love being home. I don’t get the opportunity to be home a lot during the year. It’s incredible to be out here.

“Obviously, the chance to hopefully win it.”

Tiafoe turned down a chance to represent the United States at the Paris Olympic Games tournament this week to stay closer to home and begin preparing for next month’s US Open.

“It’s tough,” Tiafoe admits. “More tough just like seeing everybody on the boat and stuff like that. That was a tough day. I had to play later that day in Atlanta. I’m like, Yeah, I’m turning off every TV and social media. That would have been a cool experience.

“But, actually, being here in D.C., understanding what I’m trying to do, where I’m trying to peak at. It’s great.

“Again, I’m young. I plan to be in L.A. (which will host the 2028 Summer Games). I also had to look at my body. Still trying to get my knee 100 percent. To go grass, clay, hard court again, I don’t think that would have been the smartest thing for me.

“But all the best to those guys. Hopefully they’ll come back with medals.”

On Tuesday evening, the World No. 29 Tiafoe began his Washington title drive against Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan, ranked 124th, in their first career meeting. Galan was seeking his first Top 30 win of the season but Tiafoe, who walked out on William R Morris Jr. Memorial Stadium Court to a hero’s welcome, had other plans.

Although Tiafoe spotted Galan the opening set, after losing a tough tie-breaker, he rallied strong in the next two sets and won the second-round battle, 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-3, in two hours and 22 minutes. Play was interrupted in the first set by a 45-minute rain delay.

By the end, Tiafoe fired 14 aces and struck 38 overall winners, compared to 22 aces and 42 winners by Galan. He won 82 percent of his first-serve points, converted five of 10 break points and outpointed Galan 104-94. The victory advanced Tiafoe into the third round against either No. 11 seed Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain or 82nd-ranked American Aleksandar Kovacevic, who play Wednesday.

“I was happy I stayed with it,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “Early in the second, I was a little sloppy. I was pretty pissed I lost that first set. I kept holding it out, found a little spark there from midway in the second set to the end where I thought I played really well. The biggest thing was that I served great, a bunch of aces, a lot of free points. That helped me a lot.”

While Tiafoe has reached the quarterfinals stage in his last two DC Open appearances, losing to eventual champions on both occasions – Nick Kyrgios in 2022 and Daniel Evans in 2023 – this year seems different. Kyrgios has been sidelined by injuries all season and Evans is competing for Great Britain in the Paris Olympic Games.

The American No. 5, born in nearby Hyattsville, Maryland, is focused and ready to win his fourth and biggest ATP Tour title this week. “I feel much more energized since Wimbledon,” the 26-year-old Tiafoe said. “I played Wimbledon probably the best I played in a long time. Just got that spark again, want to compete, want to have fun.

“Obviously coming here, I want to perform, put my name around the stadium. Gets me going. I mean, I need to get a few matches under my belt, get some momentum, obviously try to get some good momentum to get me to the [US] Open.”

A reporter asked the longtime fan-favorite Tiafoe, now coached by David Witt (who previously coached Venus Williams and Jessica Pegula), just how important winning the DC Open was next to the majors.

“It’s the fifth one, brother. It’s the fifth one,” he said, breaking into a smile. “Is probably the fourth one because I don’t really count the French Open, so…” More laughter and smiles from Tiafoe.

“I’m definitely ready to win this thing. I’m ready to put my best foot forward. I mean, it would be great to just play a bunch of matches here this week and get myself to the weekend, get myself to the position to try to win the event.

“But I’m ready to put my best foot forward, give it all I got – here, Montreal, Cincy – I feel really good going to the US Open. That’s the ultimate goal.

“No question I want to win this tournament. I think everyone knows that. If I get to the weekend and win matches in a row, I think that’s the biggest thing for me. I’ve struggled to put consecutive matches in a row week in, week out like I have been the last couple years. I want to start that here, so on, so forth, the rest of the year.”

Around the Mubadala Citi DC Open

Second round men’s play began Tuesday with a pair of Top 30-ranked Americans in action. Both No. 4 seed Sebastian Korda and No. 5 seed Frances Tiafoe are aiming to become the first American man to win the Washington title since Andy Roddick in 2007.

Before Tiafoe headlined the evening session, Korda advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over former World No. 17 Cristian Garin of Chile in 71 minutes behind 14 winners. He won 83 percent of his first-serve points, save all three break points he faced and won 69 percent of his second-serve return points. Korda outpointed Garin 63-43. Next, he will face either No. 14 seed Aleksandar Vukic of Australia or fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis, who face off Wednesday afternoon.

Also, No. 51 Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia broke a four-match losing streak on hard courts with his 6-2, 6-3 win over 143rd-ranked wild card J.J. Wolf of the United States. It was his first win in Washington since reaching the third round in 2019.

Later, in a battle of lefties, Denis Shapovalov of Canada dominated No. 6 seed Adrian Mannarino of France, 6-2, 6-1, in just 58 minutes behind 15 winners and four breaks of serve. It was their first meeting in seven years and one Mannarino won’t soon forget. Next, Shapovalov will meet Kecmanovic in a third-round tussle on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the first round concluded with six matches. Among the winners were: Luca Van Assche of France, Juncheng Shang of China, Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia, Radu Albot of Moldova, and Aleksandar Kovacevic and qualifier Mitchell Krueger, both of the United States.

In the women’s draw, first-round winners included: No. 6 seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, American Taylor Townsend, Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia, Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, Peyton Stearns of the United States, and wild card Paula Badosa of Spain.

Tuesday’s ATP results

Tuesday’s WTA results

Wednesday’s order of play

By the numbers

Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, the only former Washington finalist left in the men’s draw at the start of play Tuesday, saw his five-match winning streak snapped after winning his third career ATP Tour title in Atlanta Sunday night. No. 50 Nishioka lost to American Aleksandar Kovacevic, ranked 82nd, who garnered his third Top 50 win of the season with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win in two hours and 23 minutes.

“Quotable …”

• “I’m here because I got injured at Wimbledon, and I haven’t played for a while. I felt like I need to build my confidence back and build my level back before going to the US Open.
So, I need to play some matches, and that’s why I’m here.”

— Top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, during her pre-tournament news conference, explaining her decision to bypass playing in the Paris Olympics in order to prepare for the US Open.

• “Pretty tricky match, I will say. I think it was hard for me to expect kind of a high level of tennis today after having a break and kind of coming off from injury, not really having too much time on the practice court.

“But I feel like I fought really hard today. I think that actually in the tiebreaks, in the important moments, I really executed well and did what I wanted to do. I’m very happy with that aspect, that when it did count, I really was able to step up my level.”

— No. 6 seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, during her post-match news conference, following her 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3) win over qualifier Hailey Baptiste of the United States

 

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