Frances Tiafoe has some words for his third-round opponent Adrian Mannarino. Tiafoe called Mannarino ‘annoying’ after defeating him in a four-set match. The home hero admitted that the Frenchman was indeed a tough opponent to face. He also established that though Mannarino’s style of play was frustrating, it was quite effective and that this made him a very tough opponent to face.
The American had quite the tough first set against Mannarino. From a set down, Tiafoe came in clutch to win all the next three sets. While the final set ended in a tiebreaker, the scales tipped in favor of Tiafoe. Frances emerged successfully and will be moving onward into the second round of the tournament.
“He’s so annoying to play. He’s bunting the ball around. It’s so slow,” said Tiafoe, referring to the game against Mannarino. The American also said it was quite surprising what he was doing, and that his game at times led the World No.10 to scratch his head in confusion. However, apparently, the Frenchman took over this confusion and used it to his advantage. “But it’s so effective. He’s super tough. I’m happy the match is over, “ said Tiafoe, glad that the exhausting match was finally over.
Frances Tiafoe will now face Rinky Hijikata in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. The 10th-seeded Tiafoe, although has no Grand Slam titles to speak for him, he is considered the dark horse of the US Open 2023 by a majority of the tennis audience. His semi-final appearance at the 2022 edition of the US Open was the best Grand Slam finish for the American.
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Frances Tiafoe enters the Round of 16 at US Open
Frances Tiafoe defeated Adrian Mannarino in the second round at Flushing Meadows. The match was a four-set thriller, ending with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 3-6, 6-7, the numbers being in the favor of the American.
With his victory, the home hero will now face Australian Rinky Hijikata in the fourth round. This round will be the last step for either player to enter the quarter-final of the Grand Slam. While the American has already achieved this in the 2022 US Open, the Australian has never done this in his Singles career.
However, in the Doubles matches, the Australian has not only managed to go to the quarter-final, but he has also gone above and beyond. He has won the Australian Open 2023 partnering up with fellow Australian, Jason Kubler. Both players will hope to play their best game and get the better of the other player.
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