Frances Tiafoe defeated Adrian Mannarino 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in a thrilling encounter at the Louis Armstrong Stadium to zoom into US Open fourth round.
The American lost the first set against the 35-year-old but recovered to win the third round tie.
“He’s so annoying to play,” Tiafoe said to laughs during an on-court interview. “He’s just bunting the ball around, it’s so slow. You look at him and you’re like, man, what’s he doing?
“But it’s so effective, the ball stays so low. He makes you create, he makes you feel like you want to overplay. He defends really well … I’m happy the match is over and I won.”
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Tiafoe, who electrified the tournament with his run to the semi-finals last year, shrugged off his lacklustre results during the summer hard court swing leading up to the major.
“The summer is irrelevant, it’s all about this tournament,” said the 10th seed.
“I’ve always watched this tournament as a kid, I’ve always wanted to be out here and compete on the biggest stages and here is our biggest stadium,” he said.
Tiafoe could be on a quarter-final collision course with compatriot Tommy Paul after the 14th seed overcame a third set hiccup to dispatch Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 and reach the fourth round for his first time.
