“Forever your biggest fan” - Frances Tiafoe’s girlfriend Ayan Broomfield expresses pride in boyfriend's SF run at US Open 2024
Frances Tiafoe's girlfriend Ayan Broomfield lauded her boyfriend on his semifinal run at US Open 2024. Tiafoe battled his way into his second Grand Slam semifinal, only to be halted by fellow American and 12th seed Taylor Fritz in five sets.
Tiafoe, the 20th seed, navigated a challenging draw, defeating opponents such as Aleksandar Kovacevic, Alexander Shevchenko (via walkover), 13th seed Ben Shelton, 28th seed Alexei Popyrin, and ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov (via walkover).
With the win over Dimitrov, Tiafoe reached the semifinals of the New York Major for the second time in three years, having previously made it in 2022, where he lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The semifinal match lasted three hours and 18 minutes, with Tiafoe took the first set 6-4, but Fritz responded by winning the second set 7-5. The third set saw Tiafoe regain the lead with another 6-4 scoreline. However, Fritz fought back to take the fourth set 6-4. The World No. 12 dominated the final set and won it 6-1 to book his place in his maiden Grand Slam title clash.
On September 7, 2024, Tiafoe's girlfriend Ayan Broomfield took to her Instagram stories to laud the former on his US Open performances. She shared a picture of the 26-year-old, with her caption reading:
"What a tournament, proud of you."
The Canadian followed it up with an adorable picture of them kissing, accompanied by the caption:
"Forever your biggest fan."
"I just felt my body kind of shut down on me" - Frances Tiafoe on his US Open SF defeat
In a post-match press conference, Frances Tiafoe shared his emotions after his heartbreaking five-set loss to fellow American Taylor Fritz in the US Open semifinal.
In the final stages of the match, Tiafoe battled with cramping and couldn’t push himself to the finish line.
"It's really, really tough. Really, really tough to swallow. This one is going to hurt really, really bad. I thought I was the better player for sure. In the fourth, I don't know, I just had some in-and-out cramps. I just felt my body kind of shut down on me," Frances Tiafoe said (via atptour.com).
"I have been feeling unbelievable physically. But also it could be a testament to how many matches I've played in the short time and I haven't played that many matches all year like that. Ultimately, I think nerves got the better of me tonight," he added.
Despite the defeat, Tiafoe took positives from his run at Flushing Meadows and laid bare his plans for upcoming tournaments.
"For a really, really long time, obviously this is going to hurt. I'm going to turn the page, I'm going to try to end the year strong. I'm going to go to Asia, do the whole thing, do it the right way," Frances Tiafoe said.
"I'm going to go to Laver Cup and compete. I'm going to let this sting, but I'm going to learn from this. I'm going to work really hard. I'm going be in these positions again, for sure. Just hoping for a different outcome," he added.
With this victory, the American will be propelled to No. 16 ranking on the ATP Tour next week. Taylor Fritz, on the other hand, will face top seed and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in the final on September 8.