By Dwight Casimere
Photo: Pool/Getty Images
Frances Tiafoe goes head-to-head against 14th seed Diego Schwartzman. The Argentine reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. Tiafoe is favored going into the match against the 30-year-old, considered to be one of the fittest players on the tour. Tiafoe punched his ticket to the third round by defeating Australia’s Jason Kubler in a hard-fought match at Grandstand last night 7-6(3), 7-5,7-06(2). Tiafoe celebrated by launching a ball into the stands and pumping both fists in the air, bringing the crowd to their feet.
Tiafoe is having the season of a lifetime. The 22nd seed reached the final at the Estoril Open in May and the semifinals at the Atlanta Open in July, followed by a quarterfinal finish at the Citi Open n his hometown of Washington. DC.
Fans and sports opinion makers are still scratching their heads over the defeat of 2017 US Open Champion Sloane Stephens. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek stormed past the otherwise formidable Stephens 6-3, 6-2 to secure a berth in the final 32 for a third consecutive win. This is Swiatek’s 52nd win of the season. Swiatek will next face Lauren Davis, who is in the midst of an impressive comeback, having defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round.