Frances Tiafoe’s smile is contagious. His friendliness lights up every room he steps in. On the court, the American’s athleticism and shotmaking abilities are undeniable.

But when the 22-year-old walks into Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday evening for his fourth-round US Open match against third seed Daniil Medvedev, another one of his assets will perhaps be more important: his confidence.

“When I’m playing the way I’m playing right now, I feel like I have a chance against anybody in the world,” Tiafoe said. “I felt that way for years. I’m starting to finally put it together again.”

Last January, Tiafoe broke through to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals. That helped him climb to a career-high World No. 29. Now No. 82, the American still has the same self-belief.

“For me it’s an absolute key for any player,” said Tiafoe’s coach, former World No. 6 Wayne Ferreira. “Confidence takes [players] so much further than if they didn’t have it. We’ve seen it with so many different players. The fact that he is very, very confident is great.”

Ferreira began working with Tiafoe just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the United States. The South African knew his charge was a confident person, but sensed he was “a little bit down” about recent results.

“Since I’ve been with him now the confidence is good, he’s starting to play well and it’s certainly going to help him. Going into a match against Medvedev, even though he’s lost to him before, he still thinks he has a chance to win,” Ferreira said. “Honestly, you don’t really have a chance to win unless you believe that you can. I think it’s going to help him a lot. Hopefully it will be good enough to make him win. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Another attribute Tiafoe will bring to the court is a high tennis IQ. Sometimes that gets lost in Tiafoe’s flashiness and general energy on the court. But according to Martin Blackman, the USTA’s General Manager, Player Development, Tiafoe has had that from a young age.

Blackman remembers when he was the director of tennis at Junior Tennis Champions Center in Maryland from 2004 through 2008. There was always a little boy with a smile on his face watching from just off the court as some of the oldest high-level juniors trained. The boy’s father, who immigrated from Sierra Leone, was a janitor at the facility. He would spend his free time hitting against a wall or seeking anyone who was willing to knock around a few balls.

That boy was Tiafoe.

“He almost always had a smile on his face and loved talking to people, but he also was very attentive in watching all the coaching that was going on at the JTCC. You can tell that he was really taking it in,” Blackman said. “The programme started at eight in the morning and it went until eight in the evening. In the afternoon after Frances had done his homework, if he wasn’t actively playing tennis, he liked to watch the coaching.”

Tiafoe was eight when the JTCC invited him into its Junior Champions Programme for which the minimum age was typically 10. He was always eager to learn and remains that way today.

“I have had discussions with him about lots of different things and so far he’s been open-minded to it,” Ferreira said. “I have no stories or issues of anything that I’ve told him that he’s said no to.”

Tiafoe might not like everything he has to do to improve his game, but he does it anyway. Ferreira believes a key area for the American is focus. He has made Tiafoe go for 30-minute runs on a treadmill with no focus or anybody around him to force him to concentrate.

“I’m a very loosey-goosey guy. He’s kind of getting me to dial it all in. [We’re] working and talking for hours on end trying to get me in uncomfortable positions and focus, things that I don’t want to do and focus. Do it to a high level,” Tiafoe said. “Running on a treadmill for 30 minutes with no music was horrible, looking at a wall, absolutely horrible. Hitting up the middle and cross-courts, 30 balls in a row, only counting my 30. If I miss, start again. Things that are so simple, but you miss a couple balls, you get [upset]… you don’t want to do it, but you’ve got to get it done.”

That has paid dividends during his career-best US Open run. Tiafoe has faced tough veterans in his first three matches: Andreas Seppi, John Millman and Marton Fucsovics. Against all of those players, he needed to maintain his focus. The 2018 Delray Beach champion’s best performance came in the third round against Fucsovics, who defeated him in their previous two ATP Head2Head meetings. Tiafoe won 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.

“Anybody who was able to watch the match against Fucsovics or Seppi, you really see the tactical execution where Frances used all of his tools. He used his slice, did a great job of varying his pace, height and spin to keep those guys uncomfortable,” Blackman said. “I think that’s something that will be on display tomorrow when he plays Medvedev. You’re going to see that tactical awareness and the tennis IQ.”

Tiafoe said that Medvedev is, “playing the best tennis of his life.” The Russian beat his younger opponent in four sets at this year’s Australian Open, so Tiafoe understands first-hand that reaching a second Grand Slam quarter-final won’t be easy. But those who know him believe he will not be defeated before the last ball is hit.

“He’s so driven and he’s got so much self-belief that when he goes on the court tomorrow he’s not going to be nervous, he’s not going to be intimidated,” Blackman said. “He’s going to embrace it.”

Two of the biggest talents on the ATP Tour — Dominic Thiem and Felix Auger-Aliassime — will meet for the first time on Monday, with a place in the US Open quarter-finals on the line.

Second seed Thiem will continue his bid for a maiden Grand Slam trophy, just two days after eliminating 2014 champion Marin Cilic to earn the final spot in the Round of 16. The World No. 3 has played well through the opening three rounds in New York, landing 103 winners to record his first wins since the resumption of the ATP Tour.

The World No. 3 entered the second Grand Slam championship of the year short of match practice, following a straight-sets loss to Filip Krajinovic in his opening match at the Western & Southern Open. But the 27-year-old has played at a high level at the US Open and will aim to use his greater experience at the Grand Slam level to his advantage against the Canadian.

“[Felix is] a great player… No real weaknesses. Great to watch. Great athlete, great person,” said Thiem. “The only thing that he’s missing is the experience. That’s what I’m trying to play for my advantage. It’s not my first second week at a Grand Slam, but it is his. That’s probably my biggest advantage what I have in this match.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’m always looking forward to playing against these young superstars, as I’m 27 for a few days, not young anymore. I think it is going to be a great encounter.”

That backhand’s a thing of beauty ?@ThiemDomi I #USOpen pic.twitter.com/tkDrvw4PD3

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2020

Auger-Aliassime is through to the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam event for the first time. After a four-set battle in the first round against Thiago Monteiro, the 20-year-old has cruised through his past two matches.

Auger-Aliassime landed 52 winners to end 2012 champion Andy Murray’s campaign in the second round and raced past Frenchman Corentin Moutet in less than two hours. The World No. 21 is excited by the opportunity to test his skills against one of the leading stars of the ATP Tour on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Obviously Dominic has been getting stronger and stronger year after year,” said Auger-Aliassime. “You feel like step by step he’s been reaching later stages of these tournaments, really becoming like a power in the tennis world.

“For me, it would be a good matchup, interesting matchup for now, obviously to test myself against the best in the world, against the second seed of this tournament.”

The winner of Thiem and Auger-Aliassime’s clash will face Alex de Minaur or Vasek Pospisil for a spot in the semi-finals. Both players came from two-sets-to-one down to defeat higher-ranked opposition on Saturday.

De Minaur, the 21st seed, has beaten 2013 semi-finalist Richard Gasquet and Karen Khachanov to reach the fourth round in New York for the second straight year. Pospisil will aim to add to his impressive list of US Open wins this year, which already includes Western & Southern Open runner-up Milos Raonic and eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut.

De Minaur will enter Louis Armstrong Stadium with a 2-0 ATP Head2Head record against Pospisil. The Sydney native claimed hard-court victories against the Canadian in 2018 at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. and the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Alex de Minaur is through to the US Open fourth round for the second straight year.” />

In the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium, last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev will aim to reach his second straight quarter-final with victory against Frances Tiafoe.

The Western & Southern Open quarter-finalist made swift progress through the first week in New York, recording straight-sets wins against Federico Delbonis, Christopher O’Connell and J.J. Wolf. Medvedev will hope to improve on his 1-2 record in Grand Slam fourth-round matches, having fallen at this stage during his past two visits to the Australian Open.

Tiafoe, the last American man in the singles draw, is competing in the fourth round at the US Open for the first time. The 22-year-old, who survived a five-set battle against John Millman in the second round, is also attempting to reach his second Grand Slam quarter-final. The American beat Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov en route to the 2019 Australian Open quarter-finals.

Medvedev is unbeaten in two ATP Head2Head encounters against Tiafoe. The Russian has already beaten Tiafoe in Grand Slam competition this year, following a four-set victory in the Australian Open first round.

Sixth seed Matteo Berrettini and 10th seed Andrey Rublev will both attempt to extend their perfect US Open starts when they meet on Louis Armstrong Stadium. Both men are yet to drop a set in New York and will be attempting to reach their second US Open quarter-final.

Last year’s semi-finalist Berrettini has taken just over two hours to win each of his three matches, but Rublev has made even quicker progress to the Round of 16. In his third-round match against Salvatore Caruso, Rublev dropped just four games to advance in 84 minutes.

This is the second straight year that Berrettini and Rublev will meet in the US Open fourth round. Berrettini recorded a straight-sets win last year, en route to his maiden Grand Slam semi-final. The 24-year-old owns a 3-1 ATP Head2Head record against Rublev.

ORDER OF PLAY – MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020
ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM start 12:00 pm
WTA Match

Not Before 2:00 pm
[15] Felix Auger-Aliassime v [2] Dominic Thiem

Not Before 7:00 pm
Frances Tiafoe v [3] Daniil Medvedev
WTA Match

LOUIS ARMSTRONG STADIUM start 11:00 am
Vasek Pospisil v [21] Alex de Minaur
WTA Match
[6] Matteo Berrettini v [10] Andrey Rublev

Not Before 5:00 pm
WTA Match

Click here to view the full US Open Day 8 schedule.