WATCH: Frances Tiafoe shows up to support compatriot Robin Montgomery against Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid Open 3R clash
World No. 21 Frances Tiafoe showed his support for Robin Montgomery during her third-round encounter against Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open.
Montgomery entered the main draw in Madrid after receiving a wildcard. The youngster outclassed the likes of Elina Avanesyan and Katie Boulter en route to the third round, but fell to Aryna Sabalenka in a close three-set bout, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-4.
Tiafoe, who chalked up a disappointing second-round exit in the Madrid Open, was in attendance courtside during Montgomery's match. He was spotted in a blue hoodie rallying on his American compatriot against Sabalenka in the third round.
He can be seen in the video below:
Despite her loss, Montgomery put up a solid performance against Sabalenka. She dropped the first set in the opening hour but fought back brilliantly to level the match and force a decider. The youngster eventually ran out of gas and went down in two hours and 29 minutes against the defending champion.
Tiafoe, meanwhile, entered Madrid on the back of a second-place finish in the U.S. Men's Claycourt Championships in Houston. He was stunned by Pedro Cachin in his opening bout, 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4.
Montgomery and Tiafoe trained together at the Junior Tennis Championships Centre in Maryland. She highlighted their dynamic in a recent interview with the WTA and spoke about his incredible achievements so far.
"It inspires me a lot. I'm just really happy to see him being successful and also doing it his way, showing people that you can have fun with the sport, you can smile and get the crowd involved and things like that. So it's not so black and white. So I'm very proud of him," Montgomery said about Frances Tiafoe
"Obviously, I'm not like Frances where I'm going to be laughing during the points, but seeing that he can do it his own way pushes me more to do it my own way as well. I think why we get along so well is because he's more of the giggling, get loose type, and I'm more like, No, you got to do this," She added
Frances Tiafoe will participate in the Cagliari Challenger this week
After his short stint in the Madrid Open, Frances Tiafoe is expected to participate in the upcoming Cagliari Challenger in Rome. He will be the top seed at the clay court event, also known as the Sardegna Open.
Tiafoe will make his first appearance on the ATP Challenger Tour in almost three years. He will be joined by the likes of Lorenzo Musetii, Christopher Eubanks, and Yoshihito Nishioka.
The American is most likely to square off against Fabio Fognini in the second round. The Italian leads the head-to-head battle against him 2-0. The Sardegna Open will begin this week on April 30.