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The match between Frances Tiafoe and Jan-Lennard Struff at the Boss Open 2023 was undoubtedly one of the best finals of the season. The two fought with all their strength for more than two hours and, at the end of a crazy tie-break, the American triumphed by annulling a match point at 6-7 by relying on his serve and backhand.
For Tiafoe it is a success with a special flavor: for the first time he will enter the Top-10 of the ATP ranking.
Frances Tiafoe conquers the top 10: "Really emotional moment"
After this amazing achievement, Tiafoe told during an interview with the ATP website: "The second tie-break was insane.
Ups and downs, an incredible point on 6-5. It was a heads up. He served very well, I wasn't able to break him in three sets, but I stayed focused. I couldn't be happier. Now I have won at least one title on all surfaces and shown that I am always competitive.
It's an exciting time for a guy like me and with my story. I shouldn't even be here doing half of the things I'm doing. This is an achievement that no one can take away from you and I will always remember this moment. I hope I can stay in the top 10 for a long time." Tiafoe's story will be told in detail in the Netflix tennis series Break Point.
His parents are both from Sierra Leone. His mother, Alphina, played two you work at the same time for the good of the family. Her father, on the other hand, was a maintenance man at a tennis club in Maryland. It is precisely in this context that a newborn Tiafoe started throwing a tennis ball against the wall.
His coach Wayne Ferreira said: "I think that's a really great message for anyone. Frances has been somewhat fortunate to have a great deal of help from people along the way. But hers is a great story. I hope one day there will be a movie about it."