(VIDEO) "I felt like the whole country was riding with me": Frances Tiafoe recalls his incredible success at the 2022 US Open
Tennis News
Frances Tiafoe has recently recalled his incredible success at last year's US Open which led former First Lady Michelle Obama to come and watch his semi-final match against Carlos Alcaraz.
World No. 10 Tiafoe had a dream run at the last Grand Slam of the 2022 season, where he reached the semi-finals. The American achieved straight-sets victories in his first three rounds before facing second-seed and tennis legend Rafael Nadal.
Tiafoe, seeded 22nd at the Slam, produced one of the best performances of his career in order to emerge victorious against the 22-time Grand Slam champion in four sets, winning the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
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Tiafoe visited by Michelle Obama
Tiafoe went on to defeat ninth seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets to set up a semi-final meeting with third seed Alcaraz, now the world No. 1. Although this marked the end of Tiafoe's fairytale run, as eventual champion Alcaraz defeated the 25-year-old after a five-set battle, the match was still a special one for the American.
This is because it was attended by former First Lady Michelle Obama, who cheered Tiafoe on from the stands.
As he now prepares for the 2023 tournament, Tiafoe reflected on his previous success at Flushing Meadows, calling it 'Crazy'.
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"What a run man! I think the biggest moment that stands out for me is having Michelle [Obama] there. She moved the match back 30 minutes. Crazy! But I think it’s the magnitude of the moment," he said.
Tiafoe also pledged to do his best to recreate the success of last year.
"I felt like the whole country was riding with me and that’s something I’ll never forget. That’s something that’s very much so repeatable and I plan on being in that position again," he added.
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