Frances Tiafoe clinched his fifth win of the North American hard-court swing against Roberto Carballes Baena in his opening match at the Cincinnati Open.
The US star is appearing in his third tournament since his second-round exit at Wimbledon, having featured at the Washington Open and the Canadian Open.
Tiafoe’s campaign in Toronto ended in the round of 16 after suffering a defeat to Alex de Minaur, and he will look to go a step further at the second ATP Masters 1000 event in the lead-up to the US Open.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the world number 14, which he touched on after his triumph in Cincinnati.
Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesFrances Tiafoe reflects on his 2025 ATP season
In an interview with Tennis Channel, Tiafoe said: “Yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, I’ve been a little bit more inconsistent than I was last year.
“I still want to pick up in that department, but, you know, I’m getting better on all surfaces. I had my biggest run at a grand slam on clay this year, at the French, so that was super big.
“Every year, I’m starting to get closer and closer to where I feel like I can be at my best, week in week out, and I’m kind of figuring out what that looks like.
“Game style, preparation, I’m trying to understand myself. And getting more excited to play week in week out, that’s kind of the biggest thing.
“But yeah, every year that goes by, I’m closer and closer to where I want to be. And ultimately, around this time is where I want to be my best. And I feel like I’m doing that right now.”
The story of Frances Tiafoe’s 2025 season so far
In his first six tournaments of the 2025 season, Tiafoe failed to string consecutive wins together before reaching the final in Houston.
He had a largely unsuccessful clay swing up until the French Open, where he advanced to the quarterfinals.
Australian OpenRoland GarrosWimbledonUS OpenSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSecond Round–Frances Tiafoe’s results at Grand Slams in 2025
In the grass season, he lost in the first round of Queen’s and clinched just one victory at Wimbledon before bowing out to Cameron Norrie in round two.
Tiafoe is back on his preferred surface now, and with a handful of wins under his belt already on hard court, he will look to make deep runs in Cincinnati and New York.