Frances Tiafoe tops Jason Kubler in US Open second round

Frances Tiafoe launched the ball into the stands and threw both his fists high in the air. 

The 22nd-seeded American punched his ticket to the third round of the U.S. Open by defeating Australia’s Jason Kubler 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-6(2) in a tight match at the Grandstand on Thursday night. 

The second-round matchup was seemingly Tiafoe’s to lose, but Kubler’s steady improvement as of late made the 29-year-old an intriguing player heading into the match. Tiafoe will now face the 14th-seeded Diego Schwartzman, who also advanced with a three-set win over Alexei Popyrin on Thursday. 

“I think anybody can win,” Tiafoe said after defeating fellow American Marcos Giron on Tuesday before referring to the effect of then-world No. 40 Nick Kyrgios’ runner-up finish at Wimbledon. “I mean, anyone who’s really got the game.” 

Similarly to the tiebreaker of the first set, which he secured 7-3, Tiafoe jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead before ultimately edging Kubler 7-2. Known for having a big service game, Tiafoe played to his strength and won 70 percent of his first-serve points. He also blasted 13 aces in comparison to Kubler’s 10 and double faulted only three times. 

Having reached the ATP Houston quarterfinals in addition to losing to Sebastian Baez in the title game of the Estoril Open, Tiafoe has had a relatively strong season thus far. He also went on a run to the semifinals of the Atlanta Open and the quarterfinals of the Citi Open. 

Kubler, who has a heavy-hitting style and plays defensively from the baseline, has primarily done well as a doubles player this season. He reached the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open and the men’s doubles summit clash at the Atlanta Open. After his first-round matchup against Mikael Ymer was suspended due to rain on Tuesday, Kubler ultimately won 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. 

A 24-year-old, unseeded Tiafoe memorably advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open in 2020 before he ultimately lost in three straight sets to Daniil Medvedev.