"Everyone's drunk; Honey Deuce'd out, you have 23,000 people come and watch two people just go to war" - Frances Tiafoe on what makes US Open special
Frances Tiafoe has expressed his love for the US Open and stated that there are many reasons why the season's last Grand Slam is very special to him.
Tiafoe received a wild card to compete at the New York Major in 2014, where he entered the qualifiers and lost in the opening round to Tatsuma Ito. He made his main-draw debut at the tournament the following year, where he lost to Viktor Troicki in the first round.
In subsequent years, Tiafoe made two more opening-round exits and a pair of second-round exits, before reaching the fourth round in 2020. He has since reached the last eight continuously, with a semifinal finish last year being one of his more impressive results on the ATP tour to date.
At the 2023 US Open, the American reached the quarterfinals thanks to his straight-sets win against Rinky Hijikata in the Round of 16.
At a press conference after his defeat of Hijikata, the World No. 10 spoke about his love for competing at Flushing Meadows. He believes his experience is made special by the energy brought to the stadiums by the boisterous, albeit intoxicated, fans.
"This is really why I play my best at the Open every year. It's that kind of court. Obviously to be named Arthur Ashe, the biggest stadium we have, it's rocking, New York fans, everyone's drunk. It's just great. Energy is insane. Honey Deuce'd out. This is cool," Frances Tiafoe said.
"When you have 23,000 people come and watch two people just go to war. People trying to figure it out. You're figuring it out against your opponent. It's pretty surreal.
"I mean, just being a kid, a guy who grew up how I did, these fans is taking me in. Packing stadiums. Packed Louis the times I've played. I think it's great that I've played at Ashe at night already. I feel comfortable doing that. It's a cool ride. Definitely bring out my best."
"I think tennis is going to win ultimately" - Frances Tiafoe on playing compatriot Ben Shelton in US Open 2023 QFs
Next up for Frances Tiafoe is a quarterfinal clash with compatriot Ben Shelton, who defeated fellow American Tommy Paul in the fourth round. Shelton is the youngest American man to reach the US Open quarterfinals since a then-20-year-old Andy Roddick did so in 2002.
Tiafoe has predicted that his clash with Shelton will have great energy and hopes that the home fans back both players evenly.
"I hope [the fan support] is a 50/50. People show their respect to Ben. He's killing it this week, playing great tennis. Tommy has been playing unbelievable tennis. To beat him is a huge win. I'm not hoping for it to be one-sided. I think it's going to be great energy all around. I think tennis is going to win that day ultimately," he said.
"We're both just going to go out there and compete and try to put on a show for everybody. At the end of the day I just want to go out there and win a tennis match. The bigger picture things, I think tennis is going to win. More important, an American is going to be in the semis," he added.
The winner of the match between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton will face either Taylor Fritz or Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.