Former US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 7-6 (8-6) to reach the second round at the Cincinnati Open.
Tiafoe improved to 9-2 in opening round matches on hard-court. The world number 27 reached the quarter final in Atlanta and the semifinal in Washington.
Tiafoe won six consecutive games from 1-3 down to build up a 6-3 1-0 lead. The US player earned three match points in the 10th game of the second set, but Davidovich Fokina held on serve and earned a set point in the tie-break before Tiafoe won three consecutive points from 5-6 to seal the win after 1 hour and 44 minutes.
“I thought Davidovich Fokina played some good points. He is a Spaniard and they fight until the end, so I knew that going in and was not too surprised. Obviously, you want to get it done there. It’s a good first round win for me. He is a quality player, been around for a while, and wins a tot of matches out here on the tour, so it was a good win. I think playing here in Cincinnati, it’s one of the best crowds we have in America. They really get behind all the American players, especially me ”, said Frances Tiafoe.
Tiafoe set up a second round match against Lorenzo Musetti. Alex Michelsen beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-1 5-7 6-2 on his Cincinnati main draw debut to set up a second round match against world number 1 Jannik Sinner. Michelsen broke twice in the second and fourth games to win the first set 6-1. Both players went on serve until the 12th game when Griekspoor broke serve to win the second set 7-5. Michelsen raced out to a 4-0 lead with two breaks of serve and sealed the win on his second match point in the eighth game.
