Frances Tiafoe found himself close to claiming his second ATP tour title, only to face a loss in straight sets to Alexander Zverev from Germany on Sunday, missing out on the opportunity. Tiafoe’s defeat came at 7-5, 6-4, after putting up a strong fight against his higher-ranked opponent.
Being an American qualifier, Tiafoe was facing slim odds as Zverev is ranked 4th in the ATP rankings while Tiafoe just sits on the edge of the top 50. Despite this, Tiafoe entered the match with determination, defeating Italy’s Jannik Sinner in a tough semi-final match with a score of 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 on Saturday. Sinner also sits in the top 10, and Tiafoe managed to turn the tide from being 5-2 down in the second set to secure the victory and took a 3-1 lead early in the third set.
For Tiafoe, the Erste Bank Open presented an opportunity to break his sequence of underwhelming performances since the US Open, where he managed to reach the fourth round. Following that, he reached the third round at the BNP Paribas Open in early October and then faced a loss to Andy Murray in his initial match at the European Open less than two weeks ago.
Nonetheless, his objective remains unchanged. Tiafoe aims to add a second ATP tour title to the one he clinched two years ago with a victory at Delray Beach. He holds the title of being the youngest American ATP tour champion since 2002.
