Frances Tiafoe accused of 'faking surgery' by defeated opponent Learner Tien following Cincinnati thriller

After his retirement from the Canadian Open, Frances Tiafoe had to undergo wrist surgery with his North American hardcourt swing in doubt. Or that is what it seemed to many. This included Learner Tien who questioned this matter to Tiafoe following a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 scoreline going the way of the more experienced American.

It was a fantastic and thrilling contest between two brilliant tennis players who know how put on a show. Only one could progress on home soil and that would be Tiafoe who is in the last-16 of the Cincinnati Open for the third time on the spin.

The 2024 finalist was not tipped to complete this task by many following an abrupt end to his Canadian Open venture. The 28-year-old withdrew from the event after falling a set and break down to Arthur Rinderknech in the third round.

The results following did not seem positive with surgery the solution. He took to social media to explain the issue. “Sorry to the fans out here in Montreal who came out to watch me tonight. I've been dealing with a right hand injury for a lil bit now. I tried to play but need the rest. Until next time, thanks for the love,” he wrote.

He would then underline the issue, with the doctors set to take out a cyst that had been causing Tiafoe a few issues for some time. His timeline remained unclear with most people looking towards the US Open with some concern. That has been totally extinguished with his Cincinnati showing proving that he is going to head to Flushing Meadows full of confidence and momentum.

After defeating Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets, it was set to be a blockbuster against Tien. The 20-year-old is in blistering form and is enjoying a magnificent campaign. He previously reached the semi-finals of the Canadian Open, losing to the eventual champion Ben Shelton.

It was Tiafoe who struck first, breaking in the first game. Just 10 points were won against the serve in the next nine games with Tiafoe comfortably seeing it out to lead. However, he would be the next one to falter as Tien found some joy against the serve. That did not last very long with the match going back on serve in an instant. Tien needed to win the second set to keep his chances alive, and he did with a late break to force a decidFrances Tiafoe in

Tiafoe broke the serve to go 2-1 ahead but this time the roles were reversed and Tien got back level pegging. Both players then missed a chance to break before Tiafoe found his clinical edge once more. He backed it up with a tight hold to move 5-3 ahead, and two games later he took a first match point to secure the win.

As he wandered up to the net, his surgery he had underwent just days before the tournament was a main query for Tien. “You’re not injured, little brother. You’re lying. That surgery was fake. Your wrist is fine. Stop lying.” Tiafoe most definitely saw the funny side to this, laughing while putting his arm around his young American counterpart. "You don't know bro," he responded. "I love you though."

It was a nice moment to end on between two classy players. However, only one could prevail and in this instant it is Tiafoe. It does not get any easier for the two-time US Open semi-finalist. In fact, it gets a lot harder with the number two seed Felix Auger-Aliassime his next challenger.