As the top players at Roland Garros were dropping like flies, Francis Tiafoe narrowly avoided joining them. The 19th-seeded American made a stunning comeback against Jaime Faria on Saturday after an early loss 4-6, 6(2)-7(7), 7(7)-6(4), 6-1, 6-2.
Faria outclassed Tiafoe early in the match and took a two-set lead. But then Tiafoe fought back and closed the distance, forcing a third set into a tiebreak before winning to keep the tournament alive.
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Tiafoe then breezed through the fourth set thanks to some critical mistakes from Faria, who committed two crucial double faults to regain momentum.
Faria’s frustration was evident in the fifth set. As the match passed midnight local time, the Portuguese 22-year-old took a long break to exchange words with Tiafoe, and then with the referee, who had to try to get both players back on track.
“Why don’t you stop trying to act tough? You’re not tough, you’re just playing,” Tiafoe was heard saying to Faria online.
Depending on the point, Tiafoe may have looked more exhausted than Faria, but the American won his last four matches in a row and outplayed Faria by dominating the match.
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After the match, Tiafoe said he felt “great” physically and admitted he “didn’t feel great” early in the match, but his strategy was to break serve as much as possible and get ahead of Faria.
“We have to get out of this game,” Tiafoe said of his strategy. “The game was long so hopefully I could take him off his feet and that’s what I did.”
Despite clearly battling fatigue and a possible injury, Tiafoe is one of the few remaining favorites on the men’s team this year. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner lost to an unranked opponent on Thursday, while Novak Djokovic suffered a surprising early upset on Friday. Tiafoe’s highest-ranking compatriot Ben Shelton became the latest American to leave Roland Garros on Thursday in a loss of his own.
On the women’s team, some players were eliminated early, with reigning champion Coco Gauff having an upset on Saturday.
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After his match against Faria, Tiafoe will face Matteo Arnaldi in the fourth round, aiming to return to the French Open quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. Tiafoe, 28, has never won a Grand Slam, and his only other finishes include two semifinal appearances at the US Open in 2022 and 2024.
