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Tiafoe vs. Federer to Follow 1:00 pm Women’s Match
A focused Frances Tiafoe recorded his fourth career ATP World Tour main draw win with an opening round 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Russia’s Konstantin Kravchuk at the Miami Open in Key Biscayne, FL.
Tiafoe’s performance on Thursday was highlighted by his dominance on serve. He won 78% of the points on his first serve including 12 aces. The 19-year-old JTCC alumnus put his 32-year-old opponent under pressure with his aggressive returns and converted on five out of 14 break point opportunities.
Last week Tiafoe also defeated Kravchuk at the Irving Challenger in Irving, TX. Unable to convert two match point opportunities on the Russian’s serve when he led 5-4 in the second set, a determined Tiafoe rebounded superbly to race to a 5-0 lead in the deciding set.
Next up for Tiafoe on Saturday on stadium court is 18-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. The Swiss star, who has also won the title twice in Miami, is coming off an excellent start to 2017 with victories at the Australian Open in January and last week at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA.
Tiafoe has never previously faced a current top 10 player, but regardless of Saturday’s outcome, he will move back into the top 90 in the ATP world rankings.
“Roger has done everything in the game. I can’t tell you how excited I am to play him,” said Tiafoe enthusiastically after his first round win. “It is an honor to play Roger, but I am definitely going to go after him and give it all I’ve got.”
Frances Tiafoe in Miami Open 1st Round action (Al Bello – Getty Images)
