Hailey Baptiste humbles good friend Tiafoe ahead of second round win: “You don’t hear the things he says to me when the cameras aren’t rolling"

Hailey Baptiste is one of the more inform players on the WTA Tour after some significant runs deep in Miami and Madrid. She will be wanting similar results in the Rome Open, and has started on the front foot, overcoming torrid conditions and faulty electrics to defeat Simona Waltert 6-7(9), 6-4, 6-4.

She shot herself in the foot after missing countless chances to take the first set, but came back with a vengeance in two and three. She got the job done in what was not an easy match of tennis. "I just trusted myself and trusted my game," she told the Tennis Channel. "I wasn’t feeling amazing and the conditions were super tough tonight, but I stayed strong mentally and kept plugging away. In the end, I managed to get out of that hole.”

A number of incidents occurred on day four of the Rome Open that were both in and out of Baptiste's control. Going a set down was most certainly her fault. Doing all the hard work to break back as her opponent attempted to serve it out just to squander four points in the tiebreak was a sorry and somewhat familiar sight compared to prior matches.

However, her response was exceptional. “Of course it was disappointing to lose that set, especially because I think I had a few set points as well, so I wasn’t happy about it," she commented. "But I’ve been in that position a couple of times recently, so I had that experience to help push me through, forget about it, and keep going.”

The conditions were most certainly out of her control. Heavy rain at one point forced delays with the lights also going out meaning another stoppage as that looked to get fixed. A number of things and distractions that halted any chance of gaining momentum for either player.

For Baptiste as well, the conditions did not lend well to her overall style of play, somewhat limiting her impact on the court. Her aggressive nature was stifled by the slow courts, but Baptiste still found a way to adapt.

“It was incredibly slow, so I couldn’t really hit through the court as much. I had to hit the ball heavier and open the court up more so I could create opportunities to get to the net. That wasn’t really working for a while, though, so I just had to figure it out point by point. The heavy conditions definitely weren’t fun today.”

The lights going out was something that she has never experienced before. “That was insane. I’m just glad it only took about five minutes to sort out. But yeah, it was pretty shocking.” She still had to remain concentrated incase of a surprise coming from the other side of the net. “I was ready in case she wanted to quick-serve me or something."

Baptiste continues to break new ground. She has taken on the world number one Aryna Sabalenka twice in the past two WTA 1000 tournaments in the quarterfinal stage, the first time she has made it that far at this level.

The match in Miami resulted in the four-time Grand Slam champion winning, but six match points missed by her allowed Baptiste to capitalise in a Madrid thriller enroute to the semi-finals. It was the biggest win of her career, but it took a lot out of her and she could not find her best game against Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals.

Still, a special run which indicates a player not just in form, but on the rise. “It was obviously a great result and I took a lot of confidence from it. But the difficult part is turning around and doing it again the next week," she admitted.

"The goal was just to keep doing the same things I was doing there and give my best effort mentally and physically. I can’t ask for more from myself than that. That’s been my mentality, and today I was kind of down and out in the third set, but I stuck with it. That’s why I got through the match.”

After that glorious run, she was enjoying her time out in the Italian capital. Like many other tennis players, she indulged herself with some gelato, but was caught offering some harsh ratings to what is normally a very popular version of ice-cream. "Honestly, you guys just caught me on a bad night," she joked. "I’m usually very generous with ratings, but I was kind of annoyed that I didn’t get what I wanted in that moment. Overall, everyone else enjoyed it, so people should still go there — just don’t get the yoghurt flavour.”

There was also another video going around where Baptiste got the better of good friend and fellow tennis player Frances Tiafoe in a throwing game. She did not relent when getting it into the bucket the first time of asking while Tiafoe was continuously missing. “You don’t hear the things he says to me when the cameras aren’t rolling, so I have to humble him every chance I get."

Up next is a very tricky test. Two-time champion Elina Svitolina will be her next task. The Ukrainian has started the year like a rocket, but has somewhat slowed down in recent times. Just one win from her prior two WTA 1000 expeditions is not the best results that she would have hoped for.

The pair have very recent history. Baptiste defeated Svitolina in the third round of the Miami Open in straight sets, a hugely impressive result. It was their second meeting after first coming to blows in this tournament last year. Svitolina made a run to the quarterfinals, and enroute defeated Baptiste in three sets at the third round stage in Rome.

Baptiste, now a better player, believes she has what it takes to come out on top. “I think physically I’m fitter and mentally I’m fitter too," she said. "I also feel much more confident in my game style and the way I play. I feel like I’m really playing true to my identity now. We also played in Miami this year and I won that one, so this will be our third meeting — the tiebreaker. We’ve had awesome matches both times, so I’m excited. It should be a fun one.”