Frances Tiafoe has broken his duck of losing his second match at tournaments this season.
The 27-year-old has struggled for form this season as he failed to make an impression at each tournament he competed in.
The likes of Sam Querrey said Tiafoe’s current form is concerning, but he is aiming to turn it around at the Houston Open.
The American might be just that following his latest result at the clay-court event in Texas.
Frances Tiafoe reaches his first ATP semi-final of the season
Tiafoe had yet to win more than one match at a tournament this season, until he arrived in Houston.
After Tiafoe defeated Adam Walton 7-5, 6-3, he took on compatriot Alex Michelsen for a spot in the semi-finals.
Tiafoe won 79% of his first serve points and on the way to a 7-5, 6-2 victory and in the process made his first semi-final of the season.
He applied plenty of pressure on Michelsen’s serve, as he earned 16 break points and took four of them to advance.
After winning the Houston title in 2023 and finishing runner-up in 2024, Tiafoe has now made three consecutive finals at the tournament, and he is aiming to lift the title once again.
Who is Frances Tiafoe’s next opponent?
Tiafoe will take on Brandon Nakashima for a spot in the Houston Open final.
The 23-year-old defeated Chirs Eubanks 6-4, 6-4 to earn a spot in the last four of the clay-court event.
Friday’s semi-final will mark the sixth time that Tiafoe and Nakashima will do battle on the ATP Tour.
Tiafoe has won four of their previous five meetings, but Nakashima won their last meeting at the 2024 Tokyo Open.
The winner will play either top seed Tommy Paul or a resurgent Jenson Brooksby in Sunday’s final.
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