Frances Tiafoe to face Taylor Fritz in Japan Open final after 'weird' win

Frances Tiafoe battled past unseeded Kwon Soon-woo of South Korea on Saturday in three sets to reach the Japan Open final — but admitted it hadn’t made pretty viewing.

The fourth-seeded Tiafoe won 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 and will play his fellow American Taylor Fritz in Sunday’s final in Tokyo.

Whoever wins will become the first US player to take the title in the men’s Japan Open since Pete Sampras in 1996.

Tiafoe, the world number 19 who has been in the spotlight since stunning Rafael Nadal to reach the final four at the US Open, said that “it was a weird match, but I’m happy to get through”.

The 24-year-old, whose only previous ATP title came at Delray Beach in 2018, said: “I wasn’t expecting him (Kwon) to play like that.

“He played really fast and really aggressive. He was playing really well, obviously, but a win’s a win, and you take it.”

“It’s not always going to be pretty, it’s not always going to be the best stuff, but a win is what matters,” he added.

Third-seeded Fritz also had to fight for his semi-final win, against Canadian Denis Shapovalov, 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3.

Tiafoe said “playing Taylor would be great”, adding that the pair were “very good friends”.

He said their bond had become tighter at the Laver Cup in London, where both were in the Rest of the World Team that beat Europe for the first time in the competition’s history.

“I love that guy,” Tiafoe said. “He’s a great competitor, he serves well, he has a huge forehand, and he’s confident and getting better too… may the best man win.”

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