“I’m definitely going to come after him” Frances Tiafoe confident of beating Rafael Nadal in their upcoming fourth-round clash at the US Open

“I’m definitely going to come after him” Frances Tiafoe confident of beating Rafael Nadal in their upcoming fourth-round clash at the US Open

Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Nadal

World No. 26 Frances Tiafoe powered through his third-round US Open match against Diego Schwartzman and defeated him 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4. Tiafoe now finds himself in the fourth round of the championship where he’ll face 22-time grand slam Champion Rafael Nadal. By moving to the round of 16, Tiafoe has become the first American man since Mardy Fish to reach the fourth round three times in a row.

Meanwhile, the Spaniard is showing no signs of stopping either. After a nose injury scare in his match against Fabio Fognini, Rafael Nadal eased through the third round by defeating Frenchman Richard Gasquet, in straight sets. Nadal is eyeing his fifth title at the prestigious US Open and his 3rd grand slam this year.

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Now I believe I can beat him: Frances Tiafoe is confident he can defeat Rafael Nadal in their upcoming encounter

Frances Tiafoe

Frances Tiafoe is displaying great form ahead of his match against Nadal. He said, “Now I believe I can beat him – I’m definitely going to come after him, [I need to] match his intensity from the first point to the last. You can’t really have any dips – he takes advantage of it.”

Tiafoe further added, “I mean, you’ve seen him so much. I’ve seen him growing up. I’ve played against him, practiced against him. You know what he’s going to do. Sometimes it’s too good what he does. But I’m ready. I mean, I’m excited. I’m excited. We’re going to play on Ashe. Yeah, the best court in tennis. I’ll be ready to give my best stuff.”

Meanwhile, Nadal is also praising his opponent. World No. 3 said, “It’s a moment to increase, to make a step forward. Second week against a great player like Frances, I need to be ready to play and to raise my level. I hope to be able to make that happen. I know [it] is the right moment to make an improvement if I want to keep having chances to keep going on the tournament.”

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