Frances Tiafoe is into the next round of the US Open, having battled well to beat compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic in four sets.
2024 has not been kind to the affable American, with results seldom going his way, and confidence clearly reaching an all-time low.
However, a change of coach can do remarkable things to a player, and now, heading to New York, he is a real sleeper pick to do some damage.
That is, if he can once again conjure the quality he served up in 2022.
Frances Tiafoe loves the US Open
Chatting to ESPN after his comfortable first-round victory, Frances Tiafoe cut an upbeat figure, having seemingly turned his torrid 2024 around with a string of fine results.
Always liable for an early exit previously, he set the record straight in Cincinnati, going all the way to the final where Jannik Sinner was on hand to end his dream run.
However, attention must swiftly move forward, and now the US Open presents its own fresh challenges.
The site of his greatest triumph to date, reaching the semi-finals in 2022, Tiafoe recalled that moment and how it still inspires him today: ‘I made semis a couple of years ago and it felt like my whole world changed, so I couldn’t imagine putting two weeks together.
‘Absolutely [there’s pressure]. I mean the length of time, what that would mean for American tennis, what that would mean for tennis in general, especially with me being African American, what that means. You’re influencing culture.
‘I know it’s pressure but it’s also an unbelievable opportunity and an unbelievable privilege at the same time. You have so much support.’
Speaking about that support, Tiafoe praised the US Open crowd once again during this same interivew.
Could Frances Tiafoe make a run at the US Open title?
Finding himself on the opposite side of the draw from Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will have been a comfort to Tiafoe, but then again, that means having to likely face one of, if not both of Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev.
However, to win any Grand Slam title, players are likely well aware that they will have to summon all the technical and physical talent they have to last through two weeks.
Having cruised past Kovacevic in the first round, the 26-year-old has now set up a second-round clash with Kazakhstani Alexander Shevchenko.
Then, should he overcome him, the real challenge begins.
Reaching the quarter-finals last year, Tiafoe was dumped out by his high-flying compatriot Ben Shelton.
The two are already on a third-round collision course, with the winner gaining the honour of facing Djokovic in the fourth.
Then comes Andrey Rublev and Zverev in back-to-back rounds, before likely facing one of Alcaraz or Sinner in the final.
Tiafoe, on his day, can challenge most of these names mentioned. But whether he can put together a run good enough to beat them all remains to be seen. The likelihood is that he would struggle.
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