Cincinnati
American tennis star Frances Tiafoe battled through a thrilling match against Jiri Lehecka to reach the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open, winning 6-4, 6-7(10), 7-6(5) in a nearly three-hour marathon. Tiafoe secured the win on his sixth match point after a gripping encounter.
Tiafoe began strongly, taking the first set 6-4 with his aggressive play and powerful forehands. However, Lehecka, competing for the first time since an injury in Madrid, mounted a fierce comeback. Lehecka saved three match points in the second-set tiebreaker to win 12-10, pushing the match into a deciding set.
In the third set, Tiafoe initially surged to a 5-2 lead but faced a tough fight as Lehecka leveled the score, forcing another tiebreaker. Despite trailing in the tiebreaker, Tiafoe rallied with support from the crowd and secured the match 7-5.
Tiafoe will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals after Hurkacz’s three-set victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli (6-3, 3-6, 6-1).
Other quarterfinalists include Danish player Holger Rune, who came from behind to beat Gael Monfils 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, becoming the first Danish man to reach the quarterfinals in the Cincinnati Open’s Open Era. Rune will compete against Britain’s Jack Draper, who advanced with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime.
