Jon Wertheim rates Frances Tiafoe’s chances of making a run at the US Open this year

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Frances Tiafoe appears to be peaking at the perfect time to make a significant charge at this year’s US Open.

The American has had a sub-par 2024 campaign by his standards and has plummeted out of the top 20 for the first time in two years.

After a gut-wrenching five-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon, Tiafoe joined forces with David Witt, who seems to have had an instant impact.

The 26-year-old opted to skip the Olympics in a bid to arrive at his native US Open in tip-top shape, and the decision is proving fruitful, with a run to the semi-finals in Washington and now a huge chance of going deep at the Cincinnati Open.

Jon Wertheim discusses Frances Tiafoe’s form

Tiafoe muscled his way past Alejandro Davidovich in his Cincinnati opener, before coming up with a statement victory over the in-form Olympic bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti, who is enjoying a stellar season.

After Jiri Lehecka took advantage of an out-of-sorts Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday, the draw has opened up for Tiafoe, who will fancy his chances against the Czech.

Jon Wertheim has reacted to the American’s recent form and his chances over the next few weeks.

“Even [Frances] says ‘Look, I plan for my year to peak during this time’,” Wertheim told Tennis Channel.

“He feeds off the energy, he knows that and the crowd knows that – it’s a nice little transfer that goes on. We see in a match like today that he’s got the goods.

“Sometimes we see lapses, we see him lose control of his emotions [but] this was such a strong win.

“Some players are built for consistency, and others are built for these ups and downs. Frances seems to get that, and right now he is in the contender category.

“Nice momentum, let’s see if he can build on it.”

Tiafoe is capable of winning the US Open

Frances Tiafoe suffered heartbreak at the hands of Alcaraz in a gripping five-set semi-final at the 2022 US Open.

It was a defeat that led the American to claim that he would ‘come back and win this thing one day’.

On Tuesday, Tiafoe claimed that his rivalry with Alcaraz has spurred him on, and it will have certainly added fuel to his fire after the soul-crushing defeat 24 months ago.

Considering his passion and desire to succeed in the US, coupled with his current form on the hard courts, Tiafoe may be in with a big shot at clinching silverware in New York.