Frances Tiafoe congratulates Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on winning second NBA title
American tennis star Frances Tiafoe recently congratulated his fellow countryman and basketball player Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for winning his second NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets.
Caldwell-Pope, who plays as a shooting guard, is now a two-time NBA champion. He won his first title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and his second with the Denver Nuggets in 2023. He was traded to the Nuggets from the Washington Wizards in July of 2022 and became a key contributor to their championship run.
Tiafoe posted a photo of Caldwell-Pope holding the NBA trophy on his Instagram story on Tuesday, July 13, and wrote:
“Congrats on No. 2 big homie.”
Frances Tiafoe and William Blumberg suffer disappointing loss in Stuttgart doubles
The American duo of Frances Tiafoe and William Blumberg were knocked out in the round of 16 of the doubles event at the BOSS Open in Stuttgart, Germany, on Sunday. They lost to Italian pair Lorenzo Sonego and Lorenzo Musetti in a tight match that ended 7-6, 6-4.
Tiafoe and Blumberg were playing together for the first time on the ATP Tour. They had a tough draw against Sonego and Musetti, who are both ranked in the top 50 in singles and have shown impressive form this season.
The loss was a disappointing result for Tiafoe and Blumberg. Tiafoe, who is ranked No. 12 in singles, reached the semifinals of the US Open last year and has won two ATP titles in his career. Blumberg, who is ranked No. 92 in doubles, is a former college star who turned pro in 2021.
Sonego and Musetti advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face the top seeds in Stuttgart, Rohan Bopanna of India and Matthew Ebden of Australia.
Tiafoe, the third seed, will face Jiri Lehecka, the rising Czech star and world number 37, in the second round of the Stuttgart Open on Wednesday. This will be their first meeting on the ATP tour.
Tiafoe had a bye in the first round while Lehecka defeated Marcos Giron in three sets. Tiafoe is coming off a third-round exit at Roland Garros, where he lost a four-set thriller to Alexander Zverev.
The match is expected to be a close contest, with both players possessing powerful serves and groundstrokes. Tiafoe has the edge in athleticism and variety, while Lehecka has the advantage in consistency and composure.
It will be interesting to see who can impose their game and advance to the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Open.