Frances Tiafoe survived an early scare Friday afternoon to advance to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open.
After dropping the first set, the rising American tennis star rallied to beat Adrian Mannarino 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) in the third round.
Frances Tiafoe celebrates during his win over Adrian Mannarino on Sept. 1. Getty Images
Tiafoe joins fellow Americans Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz in the fourth round.
A fifth U.S. man can join them when wild-card entry Michael Mmoh plays Jack Draper of Britain on Saturday.
The Americans are guaranteed to have at least one player in the quarterfinals as Paul faces Shelton in the Round of 16.
“This is a group that had a lot of ability. Always had a lot of talent. Guys were doing really well in their age groups growing up. We competed against each other in big matches, juniors, Futures, Challengers. Now we’re at the top of the game,” said Tiafoe, who now plays 110th-ranked Rinky Hijikata, a 22-year-old wild-card entry from Australia.
“You see guys do certain things, it makes you believe it, right? The guys you grew up with, rubbed shoulders with and stuff — you see them do well, you’re like, ‘Wow, if this guy is doing it, what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I do it?’ It’s kind of a domino effect.”
