Tiafoe Upends Second-Seeded del Potro in Delray Beach
American Frances Tiafoe notched one of the biggest wins of his young career Thursday evening in Delray Beach, upsetting the second-seeded Juan Martin del Potro in round two of the 2018 Delray Beach Open, 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-5.
Tiafoe started slow, was down 0-3 in the first set before coming back to win the set 6-4. In the third set, there was a slight rain delay with the match tied up at 4-4, but Tiafoe served big and DelPotro seemed bothered by the windy conditions.
“I really wanted that win to make a statement. I’ve had a ton of tough losses against top guys,” said Tiafoe post-match. “I feel like this is going to be a good year for me. I feel like I’m playing well.”
Del Potro (pictured below), a 2011 Champion and a semifinalist for the past two years in Delray Beach, had posted a straight-sets win over Tiafoe in their most recent outing in the opening round of the Australian Open in January.
Tiafoe advances to face the number eight seed, Hyeon Chung of Korea, a 6-4, 7-6(4) winner Thursday night over Croatian Franko Skugor. The 21-year-old Chung, a semifinalist in late January at the Australian Open, remains the only seeded player in the Men’s Singles Draw in Delray Beach.
In the first set, Chung was up 5-4 and broke to win the set. In the second set, Chung went up 4-0, but ended up pulling out a tiebreaker.
“We’re good friends. We have practiced together a ton, but we’ve never played a match before,” Tiafoe said of his quarterfinals opponent Chung. “I’m really happy to play against him. He’s hot right now, coming off an unbelievable Australian Open. Tough conditions will even the playing field pretty good. If I can start well and hit my forehand good I’ll have a good chance.”
Also moving into the quarterfinals on Thursday, 18-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov defeated the 21-year-old American Jared Donaldson, 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4 to advance. Up next for Shapovalov is another American, Taylor Fritz, a winner Thursday over Russian Mikhail Youzhny, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. The Fritz-Shapovalov quarterfinal matchup will be their first career head-to-head meeting. Fritz won their only previous encounter when they were juniors.
“I’ve been in this position before,” said Shapovalov. “Last year, I was coming up with a lot of ‘W’s in late third sets, but it’s definitely a big confidence booster for me. I’m starting to get a little bit of momentum, getting a lot of matches under my belt, so I’m happy.”
In Friday’s Men’s Singles quarterfinals action, the Day Session in Delray Beach kicks off with American Steve Johnson facing Russian Evgeny Donskoy, followed by American Reilly Opelka, who earlier knocked off the top-seeded Jack Sock, taking on German Peter Gojowczyk. Under the lights, Fritz faces Shapovalov at 6:00 p.m., followed immediately by Tiafoe facing Chung, all for trips to the semifinals.
