*Note: this article is entirely about singles
Let me start off by saying that I have been a fan of Frances Tiafoe since I first read about his amazing story of a boy coming from poverty and becoming a success in the tennis universe. Tiafoe is an inspiring person.
Upon first starting to watch Frances' matches during the green clay court Challenger swing of 2015, it was apparent that Tiafoe was ultra talented, although he needed to refine his skill set in order for his game to mature to the next level. Tiafoe had already achieved moderate success upon jumping into the ATP Challenger Tour last spring, as he won an ITF Futures Tour tournament, and made the Final of two others.
When Tiafoe managed to qualify for the green clay Challenger event in Sarasota and make a run to the Quarterfinals, it was quite apparent that he had the potential to be a special tennis player. As just a 17 year old at the time, for him to grind out wins not only in the main draw, but in the qualifying draw as well, was truly stunning to watch, and in hindsight, reminds me a lot of Taylor Fritz's successes in Challenger tournaments late last year.
What was even more impressive than his run in Sarasota was that he then made the Semifinals of a Challenger in Savannah (coming within one set of the Final) and then made the Final of a Challenger in Tallahassee. Not only could Tiafoe have a big result, but he could back his result up with other, even better results. This, in fact, gave Frances the victory in the wildcard challenge that the USTA puts on, and with it, a spot in the main draw of the French Open. What was so impressive about Tiafoe, and continues to impress me, is his mental toughness during matches. In the Savannah and Tallahassee Challenger tournaments alone, Tiafoe came back from a set down to win in four of the matches he played, and won in three sets in one additional match.
Frances even lead the Final of the Challenger tournament in Tallahassee by a set and a break, before the much more experienced, gritty Facundo Arguello eventually won the match in three sets. Tiafoe managed to come back from two breaks down in the third set, but gave his serve up once more, and that was what Arguello needed to push through the end of the match. While the loss was disappointing for Tiafoe, it was understandable given the difference in experience between the two. However, it seemed inevitable at the time that Tiafoe would win a Challenger tournament soon thereafter.
However, the loss to Arguello was followed by some mixed results by Tiafoe until the very end of the season. Without going through each event individually, I will say that Frances did very well to win his first main draw ATP World Tour match in Winston-Salem, qualifying and then beating James Duckworth in a third set tiebreak in the First Round, coming from a set down. Tiafoe was even a set away from beating Thomaz Bellucci, a seasoned veteran, in his next match in North Carolina. That result, along another ATP Challenger Tour semifinal appearance in Fairfield (coming a set away from the Final), were the major achievements for Tiafoe between Tallahassee and Knoxville. However, a smattering of mixed results in addition to Wintson-Salem and Fairfield proved that Tiafoe might be rising in the rankings, but he would not skyrocket, like Taylor Fritz did towards the end of 2015.
And perhaps Fritz's results started to inspire Tiafoe, as in the Challenger at Knoxville, Tiafoe played great tennis. After getting pushed to three sets in the first two rounds, Tiafoe came within one set of the title, again winning the first set against Dan Evans, fighting back in the third set to get the match back on serve from a set down, but ultimately losing in three sets. From the parts of this match that I watched, I can assure y'all that Evans played really solid tennis, punishing Tiafoe from the baseline. It was impressive to me that Frances could even win a set off of Daniel. But, in any case, this sunk Tiafoe's record in ATP Challenger Tour finals to 0-2, and with a fairly early loss in Tiafoe's next tournament, somewhat surprisingly, his quest for a Challenger title would have to wait until 2016.
Tiafoe's 2016 up to the Challenger in Granby was marked by improved play and, generally speaking, good results. The problem was just that, he was having good results, but not great results. The big problem for Tiafoe in 2016, until Granby, was that he just couldn't win in the Final of a Challenger tourmament.
That's not to say the year up until Granby was not a success, as this would be far from accurate. Tiafoe picked up his second ATP World Tour match win ever, beating fellow young American Taylor Fritz in the First Round before winning the first set against David Goffin (currently number 13 in the world), and even having two match points, before ultimately losing in a third set tiebreak.
However, Tiafoe's consistent good results on the ATP Challenger Tour was, in my opinion, more impressive than a couple good performances in Indian Wells. Before Granby, Tiafoe had already made the Final of ATP Challenger Tour tournaments in Tallahassee, Winnetka, and in Lexington (which he played in the week prior to Granby). The problem for Frances was, he lost in the Final in all three of his Final appearances.
In Tallahassee, Tiafoe lost to a player he struggles playing against, Quentin Halys. From watching Halys' game, I think that the problem for Tiafoe is that Halys has a very strong backhand, while Tiafoe's backhand, while MUCH improved and a shot which has turned into a weapon for him as 2016 has progressed, is still a weaker part of his game.
Therefore, Halys' ability to maneuver himself into backhand-to-backhand rally situations, along with his all-court, powerful game allow him to gain the upper hand in this matchup. In terms of this particular matchup in Tallahassee, Tiafoe once again took the first set of the Final, before fading towards the end. Becuase Tiafoe's backhand, and volleys have substantially improved since this match in Tallahassee, I think that Frances will win their next matchup. However, I still don't think Tiafoe wants to see Halys in his section of the draw.
In Winnetka, Tiafoe lost to Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets, in a match that was won by Nishioka in a very straightforward manner. Nishioka in an ATP World Tour tournament in Atlanta came within one set of the Final, losing to Nicholas Kyrgios in straight sets and has never lost a singles ATP Challenger Tour Final, going 3-0 in his career so far. What I am trying to say is that there is no shame in Frances losing this match. The real problem that this match caused was not that Tiafoe lost to Nishioka, but rather that Frances lost another ATP Challenger Tour Final. Mentally, it must have been tough for him to continue losing in the final stage of Challenger tournaments. However, the bitter losses must have made his first Challenger title even sweeter than if Tiafoe won a Challenger in his first Final (more on this later).
Lexington was a very close Final. Tiafoe's opponent was Ernesto Escobedo, a guy who was 0-6 combined in ITF Futures Tour and ATP Challenger Tour Finals before this match. Therefore, Escobedo had an even tougher mental barrier to get over than Tiafoe, a victory in a Futures event had even eluded him. However, in Lexington, Escobedo played excellent tennis, utilizing his powerful serve and forehand to force Tiafoe to be on the defensive, and playing punishing first-strike tennis, winning 7-6(3) in the third set. Because Escobedo took the racquet out of Frances' hands so often, it was more of how well Ernesto played than how bad Frances played. However, the weight of yet another Challenger Final loss almost certainly weighed heavily on Tiafoe's mind, no matter how well his opponent played.
Finally, in an ATP Challenger event in Granby, Tiafoe had his breakthrough. Putting the disappointment of his loss to Escobedo aside, Tiafoe won the tournament in Granby for his first title on the ATP Challenger Tour. Frances won five matches in a row to win Granby, including a very impressive win in the Round of 16, where he came back from a set down to beat James Ward. Tiafoe was broken serving for the match against Ward at *5-4 in the third set, however, he did not get down on himself and mentally checkout like he might have in the past, and instead, had the mental fortitude to break back immediately, and win 7-5 in the third set.
The set lost against Ward was the only set Tiafoe lost all tournament, meaning that from his first set loss to Ward, Tiafoe won the next eight sets to win the title. That is a very impressive feat and something that Frances should feel especially proud of. The Final was an emphatic win for Tiafoe. Taking on Marcelo Arevalo, Tiafoe lost only two games on the way to a 6-1, 6-1 victory. Frances never let Arevalo in the match, breaking Marcelo's serve in the first game, and never letting the nerves that come from playing in a Final, nor his history in Challenger Finals to drop his high level of play.
It was just so apparent watching the match just how far Tiafoe has come since he first started out on the ATP Challenger Tour last spring. The most amazing improvement in Tiafoe's game has definitely been his backhand. The improvement his ability to not only can he crack backhand winners, but also to play on the defensive on the backhand side has been astonishing. I'm starting to wonder if, one day, Frances' backhand will overtake his forehand as Tiafoe's better groundstroke.
It must have been really hard on Frances Tiafoe to lose so many ATP Challenger Tour Finals. To come so close, so many times, and not win a single Challenger before Granby almost certainly weighed on Tiafoe mentally. However, any mental on Tiafoe has now been lifted.
Frances Tiafoe won his first ATP Challenger Tour title yesterday in Granby. And the title was definitely a long time coming.
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