Tiafoe Reaches Biggest Career Final
Frances Tiafoe is one win away from the biggest title of his career in the Acapulco ATP 500 final after dramatic comebacks all week. He saved two match points against Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(9-7), then won a second set tiebreak 8-6 against Brandon Nakashima after Nakashima served for the match. This would be Tiafoe's first ATP 500 championship and most significant trophy of his career.
A victory in Acapulco would mark the first ATP 500 title of Tiafoe's career. His previous three championships all came at the ATP 250 level, with wins in Delray Beach in 2018, and on clay in Houston and grass in Stuttgart in 2023. His opponent in the final is Italy's Flavio Cobolli. Tiafoe has a favorable history against the Italian, having won both of their previous encounters in straight sets on hard courts. This is Tiafoe's first-ever final in Acapulco, a tournament he has competed in eight times. The American, whose career-high ranking was World No. 10, entered the tournament ranked 28th. Tiafoe's journey to the top of the sport is a notable one; he is the son of immigrants from Sierra Leone and learned to play at a Maryland tennis center where his father was the head of maintenance. His career was significantly boosted by a run to the semifinals of the 2022 US Open, which included a memorable victory over Rafael Nadal. That result made him the first American man to reach the tournament's semifinals since Andy Roddick in 2006.
