NEW YORK — Frances Tiafoe is the last American man in the U.S. Open singles field - and he's into the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time.
The 22-year-old who grew up in Hyattsville, Maryland advanced Saturday by beating Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.
“I'm not satisfied ... I plan to keep going,” the 82nd-ranked Tiafoe said.
The only other time he made it past the third round in 17 Grand Slam appearances was when he got to the quarterfinals at the 2019 Australian Open.
"In my prime," said Tiafoe to WUSA9 after his performance at the Australian Open. "Every time I walk into a slam, I'm there to hopefully contest to win it. I want to be in the top five, leading American tennis, and just being that dude."
To get to the quarterfinals now, he'll need to beat No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev, last year's runner-up at the U.S. Open.
They met in the first round of the Australian Open this January, with Medvedev winning.
Tiafoe spent his junior tennis years at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland. And has gone back to mentor young players and train with those who helped him as a junior player.
The number 82nd ranked in the world also tested positive for COVID-19 this summer, announcing do of the Fourth of July holiday.
Tiafoe has three wins over top-10 players in professional tennis, the most recent of which came against Kevin Anderson in 2019.
In 2018, Tiafoe won his first ATP title at the 2018 Delray Beach Open.
Taifoe has also been a voice in the social and racial justice movement that sparked nationwide attention this summer after the death of George Floyd in May. The young tennis player as voiced his wanting to see more young Black tennis players be a part of the game.