US Open star glad to have finally beat 'annoying' rival - "what is he doing?"

02 September 2023 , 23:12

360     0

Frances Tiafoe defeated Adrian Mannarino in an entertaining encounter at the US Open at Flushing Meadows. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) (Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Frances Tiafoe expressed his relief after he was able to get past the unique challenge posed by Adrian Mannarino at the US Open.

The 10th seed got the better of the Frenchman in one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament, clinching the fourth set to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).

Mannarino would break Tiafoe's serve and win the first set but he would respond by breaking in games six and eight as he dominated in the second set. From there, he broke in the second game of the third set to give him a precious advantage heading into what would be a decisive fourth set.

A tie-breaker would eventually be needed to separate the opponents. Tiafoe pressed home his advantage from the previous two sets to win 8-6.

The 25-year-old was made to work for his victory on Arthur Ashe and this fact was not lost on him. Speaking afterwards, he gave an honest assessment of how the match played out, including a tongue-in-cheek verdict on the intricacies of Mannarino's game.

Novak Djokovic seeking “special permission” to compete in US amid requirements

He said: "He is so annoying to play. He’s just bunting the ball around, it’s so slow. You look at him like, ‘Man, what is he doing?’ But it is so effective, the ball stays so low.

"He makes you create and makes you want to feel like you have to overplay. He defends really well, so he is super tough and obviously has a great lefty serve. I’m happy the match is over and I won. He is super annoying to play."

Frances Tiafoe looked relieved after he got past opponent Adrian Mannarino on day five at the US Open. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Describing how he felt he fared during the two hour and 57-minute encounter at Flushing Meadows, the Maryland-born star added: "I played a loose game early in the first set and then after that, I thought I was a better player even though I lost the set, had a ton of break points.

"I was definitely finding my rhythm, so I just used that as confidence and kept going. I was super mad that I gave back a break in the fourth [set] and made it real complicated for myself in the end. But I got it done and feels good to be in the fourth round."

Tiafoe will now face wildcard Ricky Hijikata in round four of the US Open following his defeat of Zhang Zhizhen. His run at the tournament represents the furthest he has reached at a Grand Slam in his career.

Tom Beattie