Tiafoe stuns Rune with thrilling comeback in Cincinnati
Tiafoe came back from 5-2 down in the third set, saving two match points en route to his first-ever Masters 1000 final
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Frances Tiafoe produced an incredible comeback late on Sunday night in Cincinnati, defeating Holger Rune 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) to make his first-ever Masters 1000 final at the Cincinnati Open.
The American was down 5-2 at one point in the deciding set, and faced back-to-back match points at 5-4, 40-15 as well.
The victory sees Tiafoe reenter the world’s top 20, regardless of how Monday’s final against world No 1 Jannik Sinner goes.
“At 5-2 down, I wasn’t really that stressed,” explained Tiafoe after the match, who is now through to the biggest match of his career.
“You stay tough. Stay tough and make him beat you.
“Made him earn it, he didn’t take it, so I just kept it rocking.”
Match of momentum swings
The second men’s semi-final between Rune and Tiafoe was characterised by consistent, significant momentum swings.
After a tight first set, that is. The pair swapped eight consecutive holds of serve, with the pattern snapped just in time for Rune to steal the first set. The Dane was given one chance at 5-4, 30-40 – the only break point of the set – and he pounced, forcing an error from Tiafoe to go up one set to love.
In front of a raucous Ohio crowd, Tiafoe wasn’t going away quietly, however. The American came out swinging in the second set, riding the momentum of his home support to race away with the set 6-1.
He was helped by Rune’s backhand going cold, with the majority of the 21-year-old’s 24 backhand errors coming in the middle set.
After a toilet break between sets, it was Rune’s turn to come out firing. He quickly wrestled the momentum off Tiafoe, winning the first three games of the deciding set and speeding his way to a 5-2 lead.
Just when it seemed as though Tiafoe’s run in Cincinnati had come to an end, again the American raised his level and channeled the crowd’s energy to surge back into the match.
A quick service game made it 5-3, before Rune tightened and failed to serve out the match.
Facing multiple match points at 5-4 40-15, Tiafoe rode his luck as a forehand rocketed into the netcord, dribbling over on Rune’s side to hand Tiafoe the point.
That was enough for Tiafoe to cut loose, as the home star won 13 of 16 points to make it 5-5, having been on the brink of defeat.
A final set tiebreak was a fitting way to round out the match, with Tiafoe continuing his comeback all the way to the finish line to win the breaker 7-4.
“Crazy. That last set was nuts,” said Tiafoe after the match.
“Those net cords made a huge, huge difference. To come at 0-30, and match point.
“I got really lucky there. I also picked my battles, hit it really hard, chose my shots.”
Tiafoe feeling good ahead of final
With the biggest match of his career so far taking place tomorrow, Tiafoe – who has had a rocky season in 2024 – is feeling optimistic.
“Believe it or not, I wasn’t really thinking about final of a Masters, but I was thinking about putting some matches together,” he explained.
“Until Montreal, every person I lost to won the tournament. I’ve been playing really well, way better than Wimbledon.
“Playing Centre Court Wimbledon really sparked me. I really struggled for a while to have fun, was worrying about other people’s expectations on me.
“I’m happy, I’ve got gratitude to the game. I’m cool with any result as long as I come out and compete my hardest, give the people a good show, have fun.”
The American is candid about his chances, however, with Sinner having already won four titles this season.
“Absolutely, for sure he is [the favourite],” said Tiafoe. “There’s no question about it. You’ve got to tip your hat to a player like him. Incredible year, incredible player.
“Doesn’t mean I’m not going to come out here and compete as hard as I can and try to win, right? It’s one match, it’s a final, let the best man win.”
