Tiafoe looks to rekindle winning form in Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla.—Frances Tiafoe got his first ATP win of 2020 on the same court he won his first title on in 2018.

"Definitely a slow start to the year for me," he said, after a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over Emilio Gomez on Tuesday.

Tiafoe comes into Delray ranked No. 84—a far cry from the high of No. 29 he achieved a year ago. The 22-year-old is in the midst of what he calls a "learning curve" after getting off to an 0-3 record this year, including a first-round Australian Open loss to Daniil Medvedev.

"Tough obviously; first time defending quarterfinals of a Grand Slam," Tiafoe said. "Obviously got a rough draw and a couple of rough weeks before that. I had to get out and play Challengers.

"I'm just trying to get my game back. Every day I'm playing better, so I'm going to get it back, I know I can."

It shows maturity that Tiafoe jumped right back into the ATP Challenger Tour, playing two events with a quarterfinal run in Dallas. He hadn't appeared on the lower-run of pro tennis since Dallas in 2018. For Tiafoe, it wasn't about picking up a title, but stringing together a few wins.

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If there's any tournament that could spark a bigger turnaround for the American, it's the Delray Beach Open.

"Twenty years old, you win a title like that, that was pretty special," he said of his 2018 title. "I've played great tennis here. I love being here. Hopefully, I can go for a little run."

When he won two years ago, he was ranked No. 91, just seven spots lower than he is right now.

"Kind of reminds me of it again," Tiafoe said. "I definitely know how it feels to have your back against the wall. Just one day at a time; you just worry about what's in front of you and keep it going."

What will be in front of Tiafoe on Wednesday is Tommy Paul, who benefited from Nick Kyrgios withdrawing and eased past lucky loser Daniel Elahi Galan in the first round.