Frances Tiafoe described his 6-2 0-6 6-4 victory over Soonwoo Kwon as ‘weird’ after setting up an all-American final with Taylor Fritz in Tokyo.
Tiafoe edged past the South Korean as he reached the second ATP 500-level final of his career with a three set victory.
The American lost his momentum in the second set but found a way to win where he reached the final in the Japanese capital.
Speaking to the ATP website Tiafoe admitted his victory was ‘weird’ but is happy to find a way to win, “It was a weird match, but I’m happy to get through,” the American said.
“It’s not always going to be pretty, it’s not always going to be the best stuff, but a win is what matters. A little bit of a loose game, I got broken [early] in that second set, but he started definitely picking up his level.
“Then after that he was playing really well. I let the set go a little bit as well, but he was playing really well. I definitely picked up my level and my intensity in the third set. I think holding there at 1-0 was huge, with an ace there down break point. That really turned the match around. I just got a lot more energised.”
It is Tiafoe’s fifth career final and second this season having reached the Estoril final earlier in the year.
Should Tiafoe claim victory in Tokyo on Sunday he will rise to the top 15 in the world as he looks to end his breakthrough season on a high.
In order to get there, Tiafoe needs to beat fellow American Taylor Fritz who defeated Denis Shapovalov in the other semi-final 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3.
An amazing achievement from Fritz this week having tested positive for COVID-19 in Seoul as the American explained to the ATP website, “It’s pretty amazing what I’ve been able to accomplish this week,” Fritz said.
“Just from thinking that I might not even be able to play this tournament to then seven days in a room, wake up at 5 a.m., take a flight here and just show up and play… It’s pretty crazy how quick things happen. It was only four days ago.”
Sunday’s meeting will be the fifth meeting between the two with Fritz leading 2-0 for the season and 4-1 in total.
