There was a lot on the line for Frances Tiafoe at the BOSS Open on Sunday. Not only was he playing for his third ATP title, but a win would also put him in the top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career.
Standing in his way was a red-hot Jan-Lennard Struff, who had home-court advantage in front of the German crowd. And to say that Struff put up quite a fight would be a gross understatement. In fact, the 33-year-old came within one point of his first ATP title before Tiafoe prevailed in a dramatic third-set tiebreaker for a 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(8) victory.
The 25-year-old American saved Struff’s championship point with a solid serve-backhand combination at 6-7 in the tiebreaker. On his third chance at 9-8, Tiafoe finished off an amazing exchange with a lunging forehand volley winner.
“That tiebreak was wild,” Tiafoe assured. “It was back and forth, crazy point at 6-5. It was neck and neck. He served so well, I wasn’t able to break for three sets but I stayed with and I could not be happier with my effort. I have now won a title on all three surfaces. It shows I am a complete player and when I am locked in I can compete on all three surfaces.”
Tiafoe breaks new ground in top 10
The rankings also show that two American men are in the top 10 for the first time since Mardy Fish and John Isner were No. 9 and No. 10, respectively, in May of 2012. Tiafoe now registers at a career-high 10th, while Taylor Fritz comes in at eighth.
Tiafoe is also the first African American man in 14 years to reach the top 10 (following James Blake in 2009).
As for Struff, he has soared to No. 21 in the world to lock up a seeded spot at Wimbledon. The German now has two runner-up performances this season (also in Madrid) to go along with a quarterfinal showing in Monte-Carlo.
nice one, Foe