Frances Tiafoe
continues his impressive run in the 2023
DC Open, securing a convincing victory
over Shang Juncheng with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-3 in the round of 16.
As the
second seed in the tournament, Tiafoe entered the main draw just behind his
compatriot Taylor Fritz, making them the only top-10 players in the
competition. With a first-round bye, Tiafoe faced an epic battle in the second
round against Russian player Aslan Karatsev, ultimately triumphing in two tight
tiebreaks, 7-6(5), 7-6(5).
On the
other side of the court, Juncheng Shang presented a formidable challenge. The
rising Chinese star advanced from the qualifying rounds and showcased his
talent with a win over Ben Shelton in the first round of the Atlanta Open
before falling to Kei Nishikori in the round of 16.
Undeterred,
Shang navigated the qualifying rounds again this week, securing two victories
over Emilio Gómez and once again, Ben Shelton.
From the
outset, the American came out firing, securing an early break in Shang's
opening service game. Despite facing some break points from his opponent,
Tiafoe impressively saved all four opportunities, maintaining his dominance. In
the seventh game, "Big Foe" struck again, securing another break and
comfortably taking the first set 6-2.
Entering
the second set with some uncertainties, the world No. 149 surrendered his
opening service game to Tiafoe, who continued to excel on his own serve.
The former
US Open semifinalist faced no break points throughout the match and capitalized
on the first opportunity that Shang offered in the ninth game, securing another
crucial break to close out the match with a final score of 6-2, 6-3.
With his
place in the quarterfinals confirmed, the world No. 10 is set to face Daniel
Evans later on the same day, following the match between Belinda Bencic and
Coco Gauff. Due to recent rain interruptions in Washington, Tiafoe will have
limited time for rest between matches. Nonetheless, he remains determined to
continue his remarkable performance in the tournament.
