Frances Tiafoe earned revenge against Flavio Cobolli in the third round of the Indian Wells Open with an impressive performance.
Just over a week after losing to him in the Acapulco final, Tiafoe defeated the Italian in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, to advance to the fourth round of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
The American has enjoyed improved form recently, with coach Mark Kovacs in his corner, whom he appointed prior to the Australian swing.
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Tiafoe split with David Witt in October last year after a disappointing 2025 campaign, during which his ranking fell to 30th.
Now, following his triumph over Cobolli, the 28-year-old described what his relationship is currently like with Witt.
Frances Tiafoe discusses his former coach David Witt
During his run at the Mexican Open, Tiafoe faced compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic, who is now coached by Witt.
Asked if it was weird facing a player coached by his former mentor, Tiafoe responded: “It was great. I think my emotion probably after it was probably more just to pump up and send D. Witt home (smiling).
“Me and David are super close. Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, we talk football during football season nonstop. Even after it, we have a really, really great relationship.
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“Obviously, it sucks, you know, I made the decision I did, because personally I really, really rate him. I think he’s a great guy. We were on a team, and we had a great relationship.
“Obviously, you have seen the great things he’s been doing with Kova. Kova’s been playing great. Great start in Australia and then a couple great wins here, and easily could have beat me.
“But it was great, and he still brings it up. He’s definitely still salty about that, which is great.”
Frances Tiafoe’s next opponent at the Indian Wells Open
Tiafoe will be faced with a difficult assignment in his next match at the Indian Wells Open: Alexander Zverev.
The US star has only ever won one match against Zverev in nine meetings, with the sole triumph coming back in 2017 at the Cincinnati Open.
Since then, Zverev has been on a six match winning streak in the rivalry; the most recent victory clinched at the 2024 Laver Cup.
They will now meet for the 10th time at a tour-level event, with a place in the Indian Wells quarterfinals up for grabs.
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