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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday August 5, 2023
Frances Tiafoe’s current run of success, relationship again to his journey to the US Open semifinals and main by his two titles in 2023 which have taken him into the Prime 10 for the primary time, have been a sport changer by way of recognition.
He may really feel it across the nation’s capital this week, the place he made his seventh profession look on the Mubadala Citi DC Open to larger fanfare than he has ever felt earlier than.
“It is unbelievable,” he mentioned of the help he acquired, after dropping his quarterfinal match in straight units to an in-form Dan Evans late Friday night time. “I by no means felt like this taking part in right here. Everybody was taking me in unbelievable. As quickly as I get on-site, everyone seems to be screaming, yelling. I’ve by no means had this a lot love taking part in right here ever.
“Each time I performed, it was packed. Individuals had been going loopy. Even there, I felt like a Grand Slam match. Nevertheless it’s unlucky. I am down. Once more, it is a event I actually need to win at some point, and I felt like I actually may have went deep this yr.”
Tiafoe’s expectations have soared proper alongside together with his rating, which explains the intense disappointment he felt about having not been in a position to again up his seed this week. The No.2 seed fell out within the quarterfinals for the second consecutive yr after dropping a wild epic to Nick Kyrgios within the final eight in 2022.
Tiafoe couldn’t conceal his disappointment after Friday’s loss.
“It’s robust,” he mentioned. “It is actually exhausting. Everybody was there, undoubtedly, to see me play and win. It was robust. Particularly that, I misplaced final yr on a Friday night time, epic. And this yr additionally misplaced on a Friday night time within the quarters. “I really feel like the place I’m in my profession proper now I want to begin going deep, making finals, profitable them.”
Sadly for Tiafoe, Evans could have simply performed the match of his profession on Friday night time. The Brit appeared to relish the spoiler function, and he was flawless from begin to end.
“He performed an amazing match,” Tiafoe defined, “but it surely would not reduce something. It hurts. It is robust. I imply, you have to take a look at, have somewhat perspective as effectively. I genuinely really feel like I performed one unhealthy sport tonight. Apart from that, he performed nice tennis, man. It was robust.”
At 25, Tiafoe may have loads of probabilities to come back again and make good on his dream of profitable the title at his hometown occasion. For now, he can chalk it up as a rising expertise. He performed beneath the highlight this week in D.C., held his personal, although in disappointing defeat on the finish.
Within the huge image it could be a rising expertise, and one which strengthens him for the exhausting battles to come back on the US Open exhausting courts this summer time.
Within the grand scheme, not such a foul factor, in any case…
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