Tiafoe raises roof with huge upset of Alexander the Great

Tiafoe was not shy after picking up the win of his life.

Published Aug 17, 2017

One small win for Frances Tiafoe was one giant leap of confidence for his emerging career. The 19-year-old American rallied for an impressive win over Rogers Cup champion Alexander Zverev at the Western & Southern Open on Wednesday and ended the German’s 10-match winning streak.

19yo Frances Tiafoe earns his 1st top-10 win, beating [4] Zverev 46 63 64 from a break down in the 3rd! Faces [14] Isner in #Cincinnati R16.
— Parsa (@Parsa_Nemati) August 16, 2017

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Tiafoe was fully aware of his accomplishment. After match point, he celebrated with passion, “raising the roof” and leading his sideline with boisterous cheers.

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸@FTiafoe notches BIGGEST win of his career, ousting No.7 Zverev 4-6 6-3 6-4. #CincyTennis

📹: @TennisTV pic.twitter.com/hlXzEI95qQ
— Western & Southern Open (@CincyTennis) August 16, 2017

When Tiafoe won the Orange Bowl in 2013, he slammed his racket to the ground in celebration. He is not afraid to express himself.
— Nick Nemeroff (@NNemeroff) August 17, 2017

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Despite coming into Cincinnati with a 5-24 career record on the ATP tour (3-12 in 2017), Tiafoe has been marked as one of America’s best young potential stars. The signature win puts him in pole position to be the most likely future face of American tennis.

Big win by Frances Tiafoe, who d A Zverev 46 63 64 in Cincy. Clearly Zverev was tired after winning Montreal but still Tiafoe is rising up
— Matt Cronin (@TennisReporters) August 17, 2017

The stocky Maryland native has outstanding strength and quickness, but it was his determination to go after the win that made the difference.

“I let him big boy me,” Tiafoe told Tennis Channel afterward in reference to his two previous losses to Zverev. “I let him dictate play.”

The first set belonged to Zverev, who looked to be in cruise control with loopy strokes and easygoing power.

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Sizzling Sascha 🔥

First set a breeze against Tiafoe.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/0z5SrpSSzT
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 16, 2017

That’s when Tiafoe dug in. At 3-2, he won a thrilling exchange that included two effective slices, a stab lob and a Zverev tweener. Tiafoe picked up his energy, and his opponent struggled on weary legs.

Box office tennis between Sascha Zverev and @FTiafoe!#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/2ptpqNJ20n
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 16, 2017

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About the only thing that went wrong was when Tiafoe’s necklace broke. His concentration proved stronger.

Not everything went Frances Tiafoe's way today...

🦋 😕#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/ak6H494HXQ
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 16, 2017

It won’t get easier with veteran John Isner preparing to halt Tiafoe’s momentum. But the young man’s blaze of glory will expand as he matures into a more consistent and dangerous player. He’s already bringing the excitement.

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Tiafoe raises roof with huge upset of Alexander the Great

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