US Open tennis 2022: Frances Tiafoe defeats Andrey Rublev, faces winner of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz in semis

Frances Tiafoe started the Open as part of the audience that screamed itself hoarse for Serena Williams. Now he’s taken over the court she left behind.

Frances Tiafoe celebrates his victory over Russia's Andrey Rublev in their 2022 US Open men's singles quarter-final. Picture: AFP

Frances Tiafoe was playing mixed doubles with Serena Williams at the Hopman Cup in Perth. Their opponents were Belinda Bencic and that long-forgotten bloke by the name of Roger Federer. When a couple of Federer’s aces whistled past Williams, she huddled up to Tiafoe but refused to be consoled by a player who’d never reached any great heights until his underdog charge through the US Open this week.

Tiafoe started his Open by watching Williams’ matches in one of the GOAT T-shirts that seemed a little obnoxious and made Margaret Court think “Lord, spare me”. He reached the semi-finals on Thursday by beating Russia’s World No.9 Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-0), 6-4 before recalling the 2019 Hopman Cup loss to Federer and Bencic.

Frances Tiafoe (left) and Serena Williams (second from left) get ready to take on Roger Federer (second from right) and Belinda Bencic at the 2019 Hopman Cup. Picture: AFP

“I think she’s really funny,” he said. “Obviously, you guys see how fierce she is and the passion and stuff she has on the court. But she’s very funny outside of it. Super easygoing. I can remember when we played mixed in Perth, we were playing against Federer and Belinda and she gets aced by Roger twice. She’s like, ‘I don’t know how this guy is acing me’. She goes, ‘Don’t worry, we’re not going to lose. Even if we do lose, I’ve got 23 grand slam titles, he’s got 20, so it’s all good’. I’m just like, ‘Man, this is too much’. This is how she is in general. It was just really pretty funny.”

Tiafoe added: “Serena means everything to me. Especially in the black community and around the world, she’s an icon. I don’t think I’d be doing what I’m doing without her, to be honest with you.”

Frances Tiafoe and Serena Williams talk tactics during the 2019 Hopman Cup. Picture: File

Frances Tiafoe enjoys the spoils of his quarter-final victory at the US Open. Picture: AFP

America’s World No.26 beat Rafael Nadal in the fourth round. He’s an extroverted player with charisma and showmanship and flair. After kicking Rublev out of the tournament, it was doubtful whether his on-court celebrations would end in time for the start of tonight’s blockbuster quarter-final between the two hottest young talents in the sport, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Tiafoe started the Open as part of the audience that screamed itself hoarse for Williams. Now he’s taken over the court she left behind.

“I feel so at home on a court like this,” he said. “It’s unbelievable. You guys are getting so far behind me. I want to play. I want to give my best for you. We’ve got some more left in us.”

The glaring difference between Tiafoe and Williams is his underdog status. He forever looks to be punching above his weight. His parents met in the US after leaving Sierra Leone. His father, Constant, took a job at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in Washington, DC in 1999, sleeping in one of the storage rooms. Tiafoe would get his zeds on a massage table at the courts while his mother worked night shifts as a nurse. “Obviously I wasn’t the wealthy kid or wasn’t having all the new stuff or whatever,” he says. “But I was just living life. I could play tennis for free, the sport I loved.”

He’s spoken about feeling like an “outsider” in junior tennis, and in his earliest days on tour, because he’s black. He created a protest video in 2022 to raise awareness of racial injustices after the death of George Floyd. Alongside Williams and Coco Gauff, a “Racquets down, hands up” video has gone viral on his social media channels. “Are we going to help everyone? Of course not, but I’m definitely going to help as many people as I can. That’s my duty,” he says.

CONGRATS Young King!!! You earned it! @FTiafoe 🙏🏾✊🏾🤎👑 https://t.co/QQ0Jn7Lotp

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 5, 2022

After beating Nadal, Tiafoe received a congratulatory message from NBA superstar LeBron James. “Thank you big bro. We got some more work to do,” Tiafoe said before getting the job done against Rublev. His semi-final opponent will be Alcaraz or Sinner. He was surrounded by 43 major tiles when he shared a court with Williams and Federer. Now he’s in a men’s event where the remaining players have won as many slams as each other. None.