Frances Tiafoe Shines Bright at US Open with Commanding Victory Over Rei Sakamoto

Frances Tiafoe played a solid match at the US Open, taking down Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-5 to move into the third round. Ranked No. 12 in the world, Tiafoe has reached the semifinals in New York twice before, and he’s still one of the main American hopes to finally break the country’s long drought for a homegrown men’s champion.

Tiafoe jumped on Sakamoto right from the start, breaking serve in the opening game and never really loosening his grip on the first set. Things weren’t so smooth in the second. A couple of double faults let Sakamoto hang in there, and he managed to push the set all the way to a tiebreak. But Tiafoe shook it off fast, racing through the tiebreak by taking four of the first five points and building a two-set lead.

Sakamoto definitely brought the heat with his serve, hammering 18 aces, but a pile of unforced errors—40 in all—kept him chasing the match. Despite some flashy moments, he couldn’t get past Tiafoe’s steadiness and grit. After a draining five-set opener, Tiafoe looked pretty relieved to finish this one in straight sets.

Next, Tiafoe will play either Kamil Majchrzak or Valentin Vacherot for a shot at the fourth round. His win is still keeping American fans’ dreams alive—no U.S. man has won the singles title here since 2003.

On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka just rolled, crushing Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 in only 48 minutes. The defending champ looks hungry for a third straight US Open title, which would put her in the company of Serena Williams and Chris Evert.

There have been other feel-good stories, too—like Peruvian Ignacio Buse celebrating his first main draw win at the US Open, just like his grandfather did way back in 1958.

With Tiafoe fired up and Sabalenka cruising, it’s clear this US Open still has plenty of twists and big moments left as things heat up.