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"it was an absolute war and an unbelievable final," Frances Tiafoe had excitedly exclaimed after winning the Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston. He never lost a set on his road to the double tiebreak final match.
He also grabbed a whole bunch of confidence for doing well on tour. Despite his withdrawal from Monte Carlo and making it to the round of 32 at three tournaments, he battled into the third round with Alexander Zverev. He was outplayed by the German and bowed moving on to the Stuttgart grass event.
"Super emotional. Super emotional for a guy like me, " Tiafoe was pretty much in tears as he'd won his second title this year and the first one of his career on grass. The product of the Junior Tennis Center in Maryland and from the USTA National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) facility.
'Big Foe' knows that this is the dessert he's been nearly tasting for some time now. It was in 2018 at the hard courts of Delray Beach that he won his first crown. Months ago he'd win the Men's Clay Court title and now the Stuttgart title for grass.
This has left Frances totally stoked and says "It shows I am a complete player and when I am locked in I can compete on all three surfaces," he told the USTA media. He did the inevitable with some tremendous blasting volley winners and especially on match point.
It was his opponent and court favorite Jan-Lennard Struff was totally surprised and without a reliable return. Tiafoe had lost a set but made up for it by winning two back-to-back tiebreaks to seal the championship from Struff at 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.
Tiafoe's Stuttgart crown has rocked his ranking into the Top 10 of the ATP and has warranted him as the third Black American to break into the men's Top 10 (including Arthur Ashe and James Blake with the Stuttgart crown.
The former Next Gen player is proving that his resume has grown and his skill and strategic abilities are becoming unbeatable on all three court surfaces. Now at the Queen's Club first round he has won in straight sets against Botic van de Zandschulp and is digging his heels into the cushiony grass to be the defiant competitor he's know to be.
Frances Tiafoe continues to be a determined court player making his competitor hit that one more ball and with gritty tactics that one ball could make him a match or championship winner.