Frances Tiafoe won yet another dramatic five-set thriller last night, overturning a huge deficit to defeat Jaime Faria.
When the Portuguese star raced into a two-set lead, it seemed like we were set to have yet another high-profile early exit, thus blowing yet another portion of this Roland Garros draw wide open.
However, the two-time US Open semi-finalist was not going to go down without a fight, and once he claimed that third-set tiebreak, the momentum was massively in his favour.
He rode that wave all the way to victory, with Frances Tiafoe even overcoming a mid-match argument with Faria.
The American has since spoken about his clash with his opponent.
Frances Tiafoe and Jaime Faria argue during Roland Garros match
The tension had naturally been building all throughout this closely-fought encounter, and it is no surprise that it boiled to the surface in the deciding fifth set.
With one of Tiafoe’s shots called out, he seemingly approached the net to check the mark that Faria had verified.
Who is your favourite to win the French Open now that Jannik Sinner has been eliminated?
This frustrated the Portuguese player, who was complaining both at his opponent and to the umpire.
Tiafoe used this as an opportunity to wind Faria up, repeating: “Relax and play.”
The umpire, speaking mainly to Faria, who had approached the net, insisted: “Okay, all of this has to stop, all of this.”
Tiafoe almost laughed as he stated: “You’re trying to act like you’re tough. You’re not hard bro. Just play. Just play. Enjoy the match. You’re sitting here saying this balls out. Just play.”
“You’re disrespectful,” Faria replied, returning to his baseline.
Speaking live on TNT Sports’ broadcast, John McEnroe argued: “I don’t know what Faria is complaining about. He’s entitled to look at the mark for god’s sakes. Let’s see who it affects more. Just play! Hey, it’s late, midnight in Paris!”
Tiafoe went on to win the set and the match, completing his comeback from two sets to love down.
What Frances Tiafoe said immediately after his win at Roland Garros
Afterwards, the American chatted with Sloane Stephens court-side.
He praised his mentality and physicality to see out such a triumphant victory before touching on that fifth-set flashpoint where the two players nearly came to blows.
Tiafoe argued: “I felt like I needed that.
“I’m up at the time, but I’m still a little nervous and he was chirping. He was definitely giving me a lot of lip. He thought he was Ryan Garcia or something, so I just had to definitely let him know, like, chill out, bro. Just play and enjoy being in Paris and just play.
“So, um, yeah, I mean, it was a little back and forth. Nothing serious, but it definitely went in my favour.”
Given Tiafoe faced a worrying scenario before Roland Garros, to see him soar into the second week has been a refreshing revival for the 28-year-old.
