Frances Tiafoe endures another three-set battle to advance to D.C. Open quarterfinals

Hyattsville native Frances Tiafoe once again had to battle for every point in going the distance against Aleksandar Kovacevic, enduring and persevering to advance Thursday night into the quarterfinals of the D.C. Open.

“It’s celebrate those wins more of beating guys you’re supposed to beat rather than looking for the popcorn matches with the best guys in the world. You got to beat these kind of guys to get to those popcorn matches,” Tiafoe said. “This is pretty big.”

The No. 5 seed Tiafoe’s 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-3 win over his fellow American relied on shotmaking and frozen-rope volleying, with Kovacevic successfully defending nine break point chances in the match.

“Feels good to kind of just get through these, no matter playing unbelievable or not,” Tiafoe said. “I think I’m doing a great job of using the crowd, doing a great job of competing and staying in those moments, staying tough in those moments and backing myself.”

The two share a similar background. Tiafoe’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from Sierra Leone, Kovacevic’s from Serbia and Bosnia. The two even briefly shared a training home, as Kovacevic honed his skills for a year at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland — the place that Francis’ father helped build as a laborer.

“I’ve known him for a long time. He was at JTCC for a little under a year when we were young, 13 or something,” Tiafoe said.

“We get along well. We don’t get to practice all that often. Probably practiced two or three times. Yeah, he’s a great player that’s come out of college … and he showed it tonight. He had some really good stuff tonight.”

Once again, Tiafoe advances in his hometown tournament to play a Friday night quarterfinal match, the third straight year he’s done so. In the previous two, he’s lost to the eventual champion: Nick Kyrgios in 2022, and Dan Evans in 2023. Of the eight men left in the ATP singles draw, four, including Tiafoe, are Americans, and all but one are seeded.

“I really like these two last wins here, it’s two tough wins. I want to go deep here and get over that quarterfinal on Friday night,” Tiafoe said. “I’ve had some tough ones. Lost to the last two champions the last two Fridays, so hopefully that changes tomorrow.”

The first seven games of the match remained on serve before Kovacevic got his first break to take a 5-3 lead. His advantage was short-lived, as Tiafoe broke back immediately at love.

A tiebreak eventually decided the first set, one in which Tiafoe sprinted out to a 5-0 lead before winning 7-3.

In the second, leading 1-0, Tiafoe had three break-point chances on Kovacevic’s first service game, but the Illinois alum forced a deuce and held.

Kovacevic got his second and final break of Tiafoe at 3-3 in the second set, eventually winning the frame.

In the third, Tiafoe didn’t show any signs of fatigue on a day that saw multiple players feel the effects of an August day in Washington. His level of conditioning remained high, moving across the baseline to chase down Kovacevic’s backhand returns.

“I was just trying to make it tough. I was like, let him beat me,” Tiafoe said. “I feel pretty good physically. It didn’t feel so hot. I don’t know what the temp was at the time. Humidity is definitely up there.”

Up 4-3, his fitness would earn him a double break opportunity. Kovacevic saved the first two to force deuce, but with the advantage, Tiafoe didn’t let the third get away. 

“That 4-3 game was kind of everything,” Tiafoe said. “I upped my intensity there a little bit, started making some returns, made him play. I played some tough ones there.”

Kovacevic charged the net after a Tiafoe drop shot just made it over. The return rose right to Tiafoe on the baseline corner, who ripped a deep, crosscourt winner that brought the FitzGerald Tennis Center crowd to their feet and set him up to serve out the next game for the win.

“Could have been a little easier there after the first. I had a lot of opportunities there early in that second set,” Tiafoe said. “How the game goes, but ultimately happy with my performance.”