The result is sometimes insignificant for Frances Tiafoe as long as he gave his all and kept the crowd entertained, but the American was nonetheless delighted to clinch the biggest win of his career against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Thursday.
Tiafoe, ranked 49th in the world and qualified at this week’s ATP 500 event in Vienna, came back 0-3 in the deciding set to stun world number three and seed Tsitsipas 3-6 6-3 6- 4 and reserve a place for the quarter-finals.
His biggest win before Thursday also came against Tsitsipas when he dumped the then-fourth-ranked Greek at Wimbledon in the first round in June.
“You have fans who go crazy at the start of the game. I want to play. I want to be there, I want to give it all. You have little kids screaming ‘Big Foe’ and that’s what it’s all about. is acting, “said the 23-year-old.
“It almost doesn’t matter who you play. Obviously I want to beat Stefanos and those guys, it’s always good to have on the CV. It’s great.”
Tiafoe, who reached a career-best 29th ranking at the start of 2019, will next meet Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman.
Born to parents who emigrated from Sierra Leone in 1996, Tiafoe is a crowd favorite wherever he plays due to his shirt-ripping, fist-pumping routines and LeBron James-inspired post-game celebrations.
“I love playing in a packed house. I feel at home. I feel like that’s what it is,” Tiafoe added. “The result is almost irrelevant sometimes.
“You have kids going out, parents bring those kids, pay their hard earned money to come and watch me play. I want people to have fun the way I have… I think it’s my duty to ‘A ‘, bring it, give me everything, but also for everyone to have fun.
“That kid at the top of the stadium, I want him to come home remembering (they) watched Frances Tiafoe play and (they) had a great time.”
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