Prior to this week’s Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, Frances Tiafoe was asked about his goals for the rest of the 2022 season.

“Maybe more titles. I’ve not won a title in a long time,” responded the American, whose sole ATP Tour crown came in Delray Beach in 2018. “I’ve been close, but if I’ve won a title by the end of the year, if I can sneak one…”

On Saturday, a hard-fought semi-final victory against Soonwoo Kwon in Tokyo moved Tiafoe within one win of fulfilling that goal, perhaps sooner than he imagined. Friend and countryman Taylor Fritz awaits in Sunday’s final, but Tiafoe will be feeling confident after recently notching what he sees as career-defining wins at the US Open (where he beat Rafael Nadal en route to the semi-finals) and the Laver Cup (where he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to clinch the trophy for Team World).

“I think those wins are massive,” Tiafoe recently told ATPTour.com. “I’m playing some of the best tennis of my career so far right now, for sure, and I think I needed it. I’ve been on the brink for a while now, steadily getting my ranking back up and playing much better, so it feels nice for the rewards to be paying off now, but yeah, it comes with the territory and I’m ready for it.”

Coming into the US Open in late August, Tiafoe could look back on a solid yet inconsistent first eight months of his 2022 season, with a final in Estoril and a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon among the highlights. He found a new level at Flushing Meadows, however, downing Nadal and Andrey Rublev to reach his maiden Grand Slam semi-final where eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz needed five sets to halt the American’s charge.

Tiafoe’s run was one of the stories of the fortnight in New York and with it came some unexpected attention. Following the Nadal win, Tiafoe was tweeted by LeBron James (“CONGRATS Young King!!!” wrote the NBA legend) while Michelle Obama was waiting to greet him shortly after the Alcaraz match. Tiafoe could hardly avoid noticing the rise in his profile in his homeland, but the 24-year-old found it surprisingly easy to stay focused on his tennis.

“Definitely I was in new territory during that tournament, but I was just so in the moment,” said Tiafoe. “Obviously, everything happened so fast, a lot of different distractions, I was just being me. I was just enjoying my tennis out there. I was just having fun, I didn’t really get too lost in that; I just kept the main thing [as] the main thing.”

CONGRATS Young King!!! You earned it! @FTiafoe 🙏🏾✊🏾🤎👑 https://t.co/QQ0Jn7Lotp

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 5, 2022

At the Laver Cup in London two weeks ago, Tiafoe brought his best to the big stage once again, completing a stunning comeback win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in a Match Tie-break to earn the decisive points that sealed Team World’s first victory at the event in five attempts.

“Clinching the Laver Cup was amazing,” said Tiafoe. “I have to say hats off to all those guys. [Alex] De Minaur, Felix [Auger-Aliassime], Jack Sock, [Diego] Schwartzman, Fritz. I mean these guys, they all played their part… Then it was me who got to end it. The tactics from the side were unbelievable… [The guys] said, ‘You’re able to turn that around.’ It was special. Especially against that guy who is an incredible player.”

On the first day of competition in London, Tiafoe had teamed with Jack Sock to take on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in doubles. It was the last match of Federer’s storied career, but Tiafoe was not afraid to spoil the party at the O2 as the American duo secured a thrilling victory.

“I mean obviously they’re great players,” said Tiafoe of Federer and Nadal. “It was tough. We weren’t supposed to get that done, but for us to go and get that done was huge and I’m happy we did.”

On Sunday, Tiafoe or Fritz will become the first American champion at the ATP 500 event in Tokyo since Pete Sampras in 1996. Although they are often rivals on the court, Tiafoe acknowledged that a positive energy among the ATP Tour’s American contingent has helped him discover extra belief when it comes to taking on the world’s best.

“It’s so good that we’re all having great times and playing the best tennis of our lives,” said Tiafoe. “I think we’re all bigging up each other, guys doing well.

“I’d seen Fritz beat Rafa in Indian Wells in the final. The time I played [Nadal], I was like ‘OK cool, I can do this’. You know, you start believing it. Tommy Paul is having the best season of his life, playing great. Reilly [Opelka]’s playing great, although he got hurt. The guys are playing some great tennis.

“We all grew up together so it’s all good blood and to be playing Under 12s together and then to be playing in the Laver Cup team together, it’s crazy. But we’ve got so much more to give to the game, so I’m super excited.”

With just over six weeks left of the 2022 season, Tiafoe is determined to make the most of his strong form. Even if he checks winning a title off his list of goals with victory in Tokyo on Sunday, he has his eyes set on finishing the year as high as he can in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“Short-term, if I can end the year in the Top 16, so I would be a Top 16 seed for the Aussie Open, that would be cool,” said the American, who would rise to a career-high No. 15 on Monday should he lift the trophy in Japan. “I would have had a great year.

“Then, honestly, [next year] it’s the Masters series and the Slams. Next year, I’m going to really try to be attacking those. I’m expecting myself to be well, well prepped for them. Every Slam, and all the Masters.”

Before all that, of course, Tiafoe must prepare for his fifth tour-level final in Tokyo. Regardless of the result against Fritz, however, the American believes the signs are good for him moving forward.

“I’m getting in a really good rhythm,” he said after defeating Kwon on Saturday. “I feel good, I feel really confident. [It’s the] best time in my career right now on and off court. I’m having fun, meeting people I wouldn’t usually meet. I’m just enjoying life right now.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been an agent of change at the Astana Open.

In 12 previous matches against Andrey Rublev, going back eight years all the way to juniors, the winner of the first set always won the match. And when Rublev took the opening set of their semi-final encounter on Saturday, it looked for all the world that it would happen again.

And then, with Rublev serving at 4-5 in the second set, the 24-year-old Greek scored a break of serve to level the match. He did it again in the eighth game of the third set and went on to a riveting 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback victory.

He’ll have to again rewrite history in Sunday’s final against Novak Djokovic, for the Serbian star has won seven of nine previous matches against Tsitsipas – including the past six.

Djokovic scored a strange victory over Daniil Medvedev in what had been an epic semi-final. After losing a second-set tie-break, Medvedev abruptly retired with a thigh injury. That left Djokovic “shocked” and disappointed for both Medvedev and the crowd.

And there’s another narrative to change for Tsitsipas. He’s into his ninth final at an ATP 500 event – and he’s 0-8.

“It’s unfortunate, honestly, that I haven’t been able to win those eight,” Tsitsipas told reporters. “I was very close, at least in two or three of them. I wouldn’t say that I’ve choked in any of them. It was just bad luck so far that I haven’t been able to get a victory in one of them.”

Tsitsipas has a lot going for him. The win over Rublev was his 53rd of the year – leading all players on the ATP Tour, one ahead of World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. He was steady against Rublev, striking eight aces and zero double faults, while saving five of six break points.

“In the end, especially when things got tough,” Tsitsipas said, “my concentration level spiked up, I was completely living in the moment and playing every single point individually. It helped me slow down time, helped me anticipate better.”

Tsitsipas didn’t know the identity of his opponent in the final when he held his post-match press conference, but acknowledged that Djokovic and Medvedev played a similar baseline game.

“My movement would be important,” he said of either potential finals matchup. “I feel like my baseline game can be competitive against those guys. They cover the court pretty well. I have the option also of coming to the net. A consistent serve is the key.”

The lopsided head-to-head record is slightly misleading; three of their past four matches have gone the distance. Djokovic was a five-set winner in the Roland Garros semi-finals two years ago. In 2021, he won 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome and prevailed in a memorable five-setter in the Roland Garros final.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Djokovic believes it might come down to who serves better.

“Happy with the way, generally, I have been serving,” he said in his post-match press conference. “In today’s tennis, on the highest level, you need a big serve. You need to try to get at least some free points on any surface.

“I’ll be playing against another big server, Tsitsipas. I know another battle is expecting me, and I am hoping I can deliver the best possible game.”

Tsitsipas, despite that spotty record in 500-level finals said he was “pumped” to be in another one.

“Every single opportunity I try to put the best of myself out there,” Tsitsipas said. “I don’t think there’s a reason to feel any sort of pressure. Or any sort of tightness in those circumstances because the finals showcase the best of the tournament during that week.”

Longtime friends and recent Laver Cup teammates, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will renew their ATP Tour rivalry in Sunday’s Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships final in Tokyo.

The 24-year-olds have matured together as professionals after first crossing paths on the junior circuit, with lofty expectations thrust onto both as hopes for the future of American men’s tennis. But both finalists have thrived this season by blocking out the noise and focussing inwards instead.

For Tiafoe, pressure has led to diamonds of late on the court, with the American winning 13 consecutive singles tie-breaks, including one in the Tokyo second round. Similarly, the weight of expectation does not weigh him down.

“As far as expectations that I have, so to speak, right now… I don’t really feel that way. I just want to win,” he said in a Tokyo press conference. “I don’t really care about what other people think I should be doing because I had recent success. I’ve been on Tour for seven or eight years now, and none of that really moves me.

“I want to win for me. I’m not trying to achieve anybody else’s goals or [caring] what they think of me. I’m just trying to be the best I can be and enjoy this. It’s been great. The US Open, Laver Cup, to be here now. I’m just having fun with it. I’m confident and I’m just enjoying life, so I’m going to keep doing that.”

Fritz made remarkably similar comments after his semi-final victory against Denis Shapovalov, a win which ensured he will make his debut in the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings this coming Monday.

“Now with all the pressure coming in from media, American tennis, all this stuff, I don’t really care any more,” Fritz said. “I feel like I stopped caring a long time ago.

“I think when I was 18 and I kind of was the first one to have some really good results and do well when I was super young, I think that back then it maybe got to me a little bit because I was so young and it just all came out of nowhere. I’ve learned now to just not really care.

“I think all the pressure that I always feel is pressure that I put on myself, because I expect a lot from myself and I expect to do really well… I think it’s good that I do that because it motivates me and it drives me.”

The Americans’ parallel careers have yielded a respectful rivalry on the court. Fritz leads their ATP Head2Head series 4-1, with wins in their last four meetings. But he was quick to point out the close nature of those contests, with three requiring deciding sets and Tiafoe surrendering a 4-0 lead in the final set of their most recent matchup, two months ago in Montreal.

“It’s always very tight when we play each other. We’ve been really close friends for a long time and it’s one of those things where we’re really close friends but we’re also rivals, as well. I feel like there’s been this ongoing rivalry between us since we were probably 16 or 17 years old.

“It’ll be fun. There’s always tension when we play. It’s going to be a good match.”

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Tiafoe was the first of the two to book his final place, courtesy of a 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 win against Soonwoo Kwon. He made no secret of his rooting interest in Saturday’s second semi.

“Playing Taylor would be great,” he said. “We just won the Laver Cup together, so we’re obviously — even before that — very good friends. But the bond gets even tighter, doing something that’s never happened in tennis.

“I love that guy. I’m happy to see what he’s been able to do, with him having COVID and all that in Korea… It goes to show what a competitor he is, That’s what would make it so tough. He’s a great competitor, he serves well, he has a huge forehand, and he’s confident and getting better, too. I hope I end up playing him. I think it will be good.

“Let the best man win.”

Tiafoe is seeking his second ATP Tour title (2018 Delray Beach) in his fifth final, including a run to the Estoril title match in May. Fritz will bid for his fourth tour-level crown and his third of 2022 following triumphs in Indian Wells and Eastbourne.

The all-American final will be the first in Tokyo since Pete Sampras defeated Richey Reneberg in 1996, in what was the fourth straight all-U.S. final at the event. By winning his third Tokyo title, Sampras completed a five-year run of American champions that also included two triumphs for Jim Courier.

The winner of Sunday’s marquee matchup will also join the entirety of the Big Four — Roger Federer (2006), Rafael Nadal (2010), Andy Murray (2011) and Novak Djokovic (2019) — among Tokyo’s honour roll of champions.

Daniil Medvedev admitted that he was not willing to take any risks after he was forced to retire from his semi-final match against Novak Djokovic on Saturday at the Astana Open.

With the scores level at 4-6, 7-6(6), the second seed walked to the net and brought an end to proceedings after he pulled a muscle in his leg during the dramatic second-set tie-break.

“It’s the second time in my life I retired like this with a pulled muscle,” Medvedev explained later. “So here, on the second point of the tie-break, I felt a little bit [of a] strange pop in my adductor. I first thought maybe it is cramp and after the point I was like, `No, probably not a cramp.’

“And during the tie-break, I felt I can play like five, 10 more points but that’s it. If I play one more set, you can do it, but you can probably miss half a year instead of one month.”

Medvedev was aiming to win his second tour-level title of the season this week at the ATP 500 event in Astana after triumphing in Los Cabos in July. The 26-year-old had not dropped a set en route to the semi-final clash against Djokovic and looked strong against the Serbian in their 11th ATP Head2Head meeting before he was forced to retire.

“I actually have no idea what is fair,” Medvedev said when discussing his decision to retire. “If I won, I would not play the final. I was like, ‘OK, I just try to hit some shots’. If I manage to win, well I cannot do anything, I will retire. If I lose, congrats to Novak, he’s still in great shape. Good luck to him in the final.”

Djokovic will seek his 90th tour-level title when he faces Stefanos Tsitsipas in the championship match in Astana on Sunday.

Stefanos Tsitsipas enjoyed his time hitting lightly with Carlos Alcaraz at a tennis court built outdoors at the Baiterek monument in Astana earlier in the week.

Indoors at the Astana Open, Tsitsipas’ extended stay means the Greek has now surpassed Alcaraz’s win tally and goes atop the ATP Tour with 53 victories in 2022 after beating Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

The third seed said he would like to match his idol, Roger Federer, and get to 80 or 90 wins in one of his future seasons.

And while it won’t happen this campaign, Tsitsipas is bound to be jubilant after his unprecedented — in terms of their head-to-head — comeback against the fifth seed. The pair had met 12 times going back to their junior days and the winner of the first set won every single match.

It all changed at the National Tennis Center, with Tsitsipas hanging tough as his opponent grew increasingly frustrated.

If Rublev produced several highlight-reel forehand returns and forehands in general, Tsitsipas excelled with his all-court game and was more solid at the conclusion.

Strokes, tactics and technique were only part of the equation, however.

“I think the heart was very decisive in the end, especially when things got tough,” said Tsitsipas. “My concentration level spiked up. I was completely living in the moment and playing every single point.

“I think I reached the biggest point of zoning in the last few games of the third set and that helped me slow down time, helped me anticipate a bit better.”

Last year’s Roland Garros finalist saved the first two break points of the decider at 2-2.
He took control by breaking for 5-3, and was untroubled in serving out the semi-final.
Rublev flung his racket to the ground in the final game after his forehand went into the net for 30-0.

Tsitsipas has captured the Nitto ATP Finals title and a pair of ATP Masters 1000 titles, so call it a statistical anomaly that he hasn’t yet claimed a 500 level tournament, going 0-8 in those finals.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

To land that first 500 crown, he will have to beat Novak Djokovic, who has a winning record against the Greek.

“It’s been unfortunate,” said Tsitsipas. “I’ve been unable to win those eight. I was very close at least in two or three of them.”

He is right. Three went to third sets, including against Rafael Nadal on clay in Barcelona last year when Tsitsipas even held a match point.

“I wouldn’t say I have choked in any of them. I’d say it’s just bad luck that I haven’t been able to get a victory in one of them.

“Overall, I’m pumped to be playing in those finals, every single chance I get I try to put my best out there. I don’t think there’s a reason to feel any pressure or tightness in those situations because finals showcase the best of the tournament during that week, and it’s an extra reason to go out there and play my best.”

No matter the result on Sunday, Tsitsipas said he will leave Astana impressed with the new 500 event.

“It’s a great event,” said Tsitsipas. “I think they have done a great job of putting things together and making this very convenient for all us players.”

Novak Djokovic advanced to the championship match on Saturday at the Astana Open after Daniil Medvedev retired from the pair’s semi-final clash at the end of a dramatic second-set tie-break due to a leg injury.

Medvedev’s retirement came moments after Djokovic had clinched a dramatic tie-break to level the match at 4-6, 7-6(6). It was an unfortunate end to what was shaping up to be one of the matches of the year on the ATP Tour, with both players bringing a high level to their 11th ATP Head2Head meeting.

“I really hope that his injury is nothing too serious,” said Djokovic. “I know Daniil, he’s a great guy, he’s a fighter, he’s a big competitor. He wouldn’t retire a match if he didn’t feel that he [could] continue or [if it wouldn’t] worsen his injury. He told me that he pulled an adductor muscle in his leg.

“It was such a close match, particularly in the second set. I would probably say he was a better player on the court in both sets. I was fighting and trying to find a way. I found a way to win the second, but I’m just sad for the tournament and for these people who were enjoying the battle, and for Daniil that it had to end this way.”

Djokovic will now aim to seal back-to-back titles in Sunday’s final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 winner against Andrey Rublev. The Serbian, who lifted his 89th tour-level crown in Tel Aviv last week, leads Tsitsipas 7-2 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Incredibly, this was Djokovic and Medvedev’s first meeting of 2022 – and only the second event where they were in the same draw, after Roland Garros. It was also Djokovic’s first match against a Top 10 player on a hard court since the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, where he fell to Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. Medvedev, meanwhile, was seeking his first indoor hard-court final since that same event.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

The battle between the second and fourth seeds was a master class in geometry, as the two players artfully carved a dizzying array of intricate, intuitive shots.

There were, improbably, three consecutive breaks of serve in the first set, two of them belonging to Medvedev, who converted his only two break opportunities. Serving at 5-4 he raced out to 40/0 and took the set on his second opportunity.

There were no breaks of serve in the second set and so it came down to a tie-break. Medvedev won the first point, then Djokovic employed the drop shot on four consecutive points – and won them all. Ultimately, he won the tie-break on yet another drop shot when Medvedev’s forehand lob sailed long.

“We played a lot of drop shots once the balls got really big and fluffy and I couldn’t really penetrate through him,” Djokovic said. “He’s like a wall. I’ve been in those shoes myself throughout my career, that players thought they couldn’t put a ball past me, but now I [know] how it feels when someone who really doesn’t make mistakes is on the opposite side of the net. He just makes you work really hard for every single point.

“The conditions here are playing a bit slower, actually a lot slower than last week in Israel where I played, so I had to adjust and against a player like Daniil, you’re just not going to have many free points. Actually, maybe none. So you just have to work your way all the time.

“The tie-break was super exciting and the house was on fire here in the stadium.”

Did You Know?
By winning Wimbledon in July, Djokovic is guaranteed to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals as a current-year Grand Slam champion who finishes within the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin should he win the Astana Open. Victory at the ATP 500 would give Djokovic enough points to guarantee that he will be in the Top 20 of the Race on the Monday after the Rolex Paris Masters.

Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his sixth tour-level final of the season Saturday when he earned a comeback win against Andrey Rublev at the Astana Open.

In front of a lively crowd at the ATP 500 event, the Greek upped his intensity and aggression as the match went on to overcome the fifth seed 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 10 minutes.

“I hit with a lot of variation and mixing and it went my way towards the end,” Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. “I stayed completely within my game. There were a few things I worked out.

“I kept pursuing those shots with a lot of passion and determination. It was not easy, being a set down. To have to deal with a very good opponent on the other side of the net made it an extremely physically battle. I am pleased with myself for being so determined to make it work so well.”

With his victory, Tsitsipas has improved to 6-4 in his ATP Head2Head series against the World No. 9 and will next face Novak Djokovic or Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final. The third seed, who qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals last week, is aiming to win his third tour-level title of the year in Astana, having triumphed in Monte Carlo and Mallorca.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

In a tight first set, Rublev played the bigger points better, saving all three break points he faced to move ahead. However, Tsitsipas refused to go away as he started to open his shoulders and swing freely. The Greek broke in the 10th game of the second set to level, before he held his nerve in the third set to earn his 53rd tour-level win of the season.

“My mentality kind of changed,” Tsitsipas said. “I played with more of an aggressive game style and didn’t have anything by luck. I was conscious of every single decision I was trying to follow and execute and those service games worked out pretty well. They kept me in the game and gave me that hope.”

Did You Know?
Tsitsipas is seeking his first ATP 500 title this week in Astana. He has reached eight finals at this level before this week, but has yet to prevail.

Taylor Fritz thought he would have to miss the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships after testing positive for COVID-19 in Seoul, where he had to quarantine for one week. But after arriving just in time for his Tokyo opener on Wednesday, the American has made the most of his opportunity by reaching the final at the ATP 500.

The odds were once again stacked against Fritz against Denis Shapovalov in the Saturday’s semi-finals, but the American battled back from 1-3 down in the deciding set to secure a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 victory and advance to his third ATP Tour final of the season.

“It’s pretty amazing what I’ve been able to accomplish this week,” said Fritz, who benefitted from the withdrawal of Nick Kyrgios prior to their quarter-final matchup. “Just from thinking that I might not even be able to play this tournament to then seven days in a room, wake up at 5 a.m., take a flight here and just show up and play… It’s pretty crazy how quick things happen. It was only four days ago.”

Adding to the achievement, Fritz also clinched what will be his Top 10 debut in next week’s edition of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

In an exhibition of first-strike tennis from both men in the Ariake Colosseum, the American was in control early behind his big serve and forehand. After saving a break point in his opening service game, he claimed the first set then broke for 3-2 in the second before Shapovalov fashioned an immediate reply.

The Canadian was fearless in winning a dramatic tie-break to force a third set. After seeing a Fritz passing shot clip the line to erase a mini-break and knot the score at 4/4, Shapovalov ventured forward again on each of the next two points and was rewarded for his bravery. He then claimed the set by moving Fritz from corner to corner in a tense rally that was one of the longest of the match.

Gesturing to the crowd after sealing the set, Shapovalov then rode his momentum to a 3-1 lead in the decider.

But a love hold helped Fritz rediscover his best form, as he rattled off the final five games of the match to set up an all-American final against his Laver Cup teammate Frances Tiafoe. The standout stat of the semi-final was Fritz’s 82 per cent win rate (47/57) on first serve.

All three of his victories this week have come in three sets, with Fritz also winning the first and third sets against James Duckworth and Japan’s Hiroki Moriya. After initially saying he was concerned with his fitness after falling ill and spending a week in lockdown, Fritz was presented with a new challenge in adapting to the “extremely fast” conditions on the stadium court.

“Honestly, physically I’ve felt fine all week,” he said after reaching the final. “I think the biggest struggle for me this week has been the court speed.”

Due to persistent rain in Tokyo, Fritz was only able to practise on the venue’s indoor courts. But he was able to hit on the show court on Friday evening after receiving a walkover from Kyrgios, and again early Saturday afternoon.

“I felt like that made a really big difference with my confidence and my feel hitting the ball,” he said.

Fritz’s victory set up the first all-American final in Tokyo since Pete Sampras defeated Richey Renenerg in 1996, in what was the fourth straight all-U.S. final at the event. By winning his third Tokyo title, Sampras completed a five-year run of American champions that also included two triumphs for Jim Courier.

Fritz holds a 4-1 ATP Head2Head series lead against Tiafoe, who advanced to the final with a 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 victory against Soonwoo Kwon earlier on Saturday.

Frances Tiafoe saw his perfect set record this week in Tokyo shattered as he conceded a shocking 6-0 second set in Saturday’s semi-finals. But the in-form American made sure the middle stanza would be a mere footnote as he regrouped for a 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 victory against Soonwoo Kwon.

“It was a weird match, but I’m happy to get through,” said Tiafoe, who is into his second final of the season and his fifth overall. “It’s not always going to be pretty, it’s not always going to be the best stuff, but a win is what matters.”

After the fourth seed powered through the opening set without facing a break pint, Kwon did the same in the second, dropping just three points on serve on his way to the shutout set.

“A little bit of a loose game, I got broken [early] in that second set, but he started definitely picking up his level. Then after that he was playing really well. I let the set go a little bit as well, but he was playing really well.”

The South Korean ran his tally to seven games in a row and threatened for eight with a break point at 1-0 in the final set, but Tiafoe found his footing to stop the bleeding at the crucial moment. Two aces and a backhand swinging-volley winner put the American on the board in the decider as he escaped 30/40.

On return at 2-2, Tiafoe brought up his second break chance of the game after claiming a cat-and-mouse point in which both men scrambled back and forth between the net and baseline. He converted when a Kwon volley floated long, then padded his lead with another break he tracked down a lob and managed a spinning backhand, which his opponent incorrectly chose not to play back.

That would not be the final twist, as Kwon got one break back to close to 4-5, but Tiafoe made no mistake on his second attempt to serve out the match, winning four points in a row from 0/15 to seal progress to the second ATP 500 final of his career (Vienna 2021).

More to follow…