"Frances Tiafoe is just bringing that energy" - Kevin Durant lauds American's Citi Open match win; joins him on court
Frances Tiafoe has received high praise from American basketball player Kevin Durant for his energetic performance in the 2023 Citi Open's second round.
After suffering a third-round exit at Wimbledon, Tiafoe arrived in Washington to participate in the ATP 500 tournament. He received a first-round bye and squared off against Aslan Karatsev on Tuesday, August 1.
Cheered on by Phoenix Suns power forward Durant, the World No. 10 powered to a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) win against the Russian.
"KD" later caught up with Tiafoe during the latter's on-court interview. He expressed his admiration for his compatriot, stating that the BOSS Open champion brings in a lot of energy to his game.
"It was a lot of energy and it was exciting. I'm glad he got the win. Yeah, he's just bringing that energy from this area. He represents right. So, we're all proud of him," Durant stated.
Kevin Durant on Frances Tiafoe:
“There was a lot of energy in the building. I’m glad he got the win. He’s bringing that energy from this area. He represents right. We’re all proud of him.”
Rennae Stubbs: “Who wins on a basketball court?”
KD: “I do” 😂
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Kevin Durant is a two-time NBA Champion. Regarded as one of the legends of the sport, the American was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 2017 and 2018.
Meanwhile, Tiafoe thrilled the home fans with his power-hitting on Tuesday. The American negated Karatsev's aggressive returns effectively to wrap up the match in two hours and nine minutes.
Reflecting on the match during the on-court interview, Tiafoe stated that his opponent made him work hard for his win.
"Unbelievable match tonight. It was so tight all the way through, he really made me earn it," he said. "I'm just happy to get through. He's a tough player, he's made the semis of a Grand Slam and he's very, very dangerous. Very tough first round."
Frances Tiafoe will face Juncheng Shang in Citi Open 3R
Frances Tiafoe will square off against Juncheng Shang in the third round of the 2023 Citi Open on Thursday, August 3. This will be their second meeting on the tour, with the American leading 1-0 in their head-to-head.
Shang entered the Citi Open main draw via comfortable straight-sets wins over Gage Brymer and Thai-son Kwiatkowski in the qualifiers. He followed that up with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Emilio Gomez in the opening round.
Shang created history at the Australian Open earlier this year. He beat Germany's Oscar Otte 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 in the first round to become the first Chinese player in the Open Era to win a main-draw match at the Melbourne Major.
However, Frances Tiafoe interestingly put an end to the teenager's historic run at the Grand Slam tournament. The American beat Shang 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the third round.