Erste Bank Open: Incredible! Frances Tiafoe with "Houdini-Akt" against Jannik Sinner
Frances Tiafoe made an extraordinary comeback against Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Erste Bank Open 2021. The American turned set and break deficit and now meets Alexander Zverev .
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Oct 30, 2021, 06:06 pm
At first everything at the Center Court in Vienna looked as if the second semi-final of the day would also end very quickly. Already in the first match of the day, Alexander Zverev swept youngster Carlos Alcaraz off the field in two sets, with a similar matter of course - that's how it looked for a long time - Jannik Sinner also seemed to be walking towards the final at the ATP 500 event. But first things first.
In the first round, the 20-year-old managed the break early, which the five-time winner on the ATP tour could not miss. After a little more than half an hour, Sinner set 6: 3 to 1: 0 sets. In the second round, Tiafoe, who had played his way into the semi-finals, slid visibly into a debacle. Sinner managed another break at the start of the set, and the South Tyrolean quickly moved away to 3-0. With a score of 5: 2, Sinner then had the chance to buy his final ticket in three games. But not with Frances Tiafoe.
Tiafoe with "Houdini act"
He was now playing freely, firing on the audience with one show act after the other and playing himself more and more into a frenzy. With the strong support of Jannik Sinner, who made a terrible service game - Tiafoe made it 5: 5, a little later another break and made the set equalization perfect in a real Davis Cup atmosphere in the Wiener Stadthalle.
Frances Tiafoe took this momentum into the decision set against a visibly touched Jannik Sinner. In this, the American managed an early break, all signs now pointed in the direction of the qualifier, who had already made a fabulous comeback against Stefanos Tsitsipas. So also against the South Tyrolean, the American managed another break, which he was ultimately able to transport to triumph.
In the final, Frances Tiafoe now faces Alexander Zverev. The German is playing in Vienna for his 18th title on the ATP tour, for Tiafoe it's title number two.
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