2024 finalist Frances Tiafoe had his Cincinnati Open run cut short on Wednesday when the American star was forced to retire in the second set of his Round of 16 match with Holger Rune.
After jumping out to an early lead in the first, Tiafoe then appeared to be struggling late in the set. Following several breaks from Rune, Tiafoe took a medical timeout, where the on-site physio worked on his back and provided him with pain relievers.
Despite that, a visibly hampered Tiafoe wound up conceding the first set, with commentators and his team both holding out hope that the medication would kick in and help the fan-favorite get back in rhythm for the second.
Instead, after going down 3-1, Tiafoe launched a ball out of the court in frustration, receiving a code violation for ball abuse before proceeding to retire with back spasms, marking his first retirement since Queen’s Club 2024, when Tiafoe retired during his Round of 32 match against Rinky Hijikata.
Rune reaches the quarter-finals 6-4 3-1 RET as Tiafoe retires due to a back injury.
#CincyTennisRune now advances to the quarterfinals, where he awaits the winner of today’s Taylor Fritz vs Terence Atmane match on Court 3.
Holger Rune Discusses Tiafoe Win
Following Frances Tiafoe’s retirement, Holger Rune spoke with Tennis TV for his on-court interview.
After coming up short against the American in last year’s Cincinnati semifinals despite having match point, Rune opened up on his slow start to Wednesday’s match:
“I had again a little bit of a slow start, but after that I came back quickly, I rise my intensity a lot and I think my timing on the ball was good. I was moving the ball well around. I think in the middle of the first set I started to play very well actually.
“I also, in the break point, going after my shots and stuff. So we had another good practice like yesterday, fine tuning a few things. And as you said, never nice to finish that way but just on myself, I’m happy with the level.”
Previewing Rune’s Potential Path to a Final in Cincinnati
As previously mentioned, following Frances Tiafoe’s retirement on Wednesday, Holger Rune now awaits the winner of today’s Taylor Fritz vs. Terence Atmane match in the quarterfinals.
Currently, Rune has a 1-2 record against Fritz, with the American winning their most recent meeting at the Shanghai Masters last season. Several months before that, however, when the two faced off in the Round of 16 at Indian Wells, it was Rune who prevailed in a three-set affair.
On the flip side, Rune and Atmane have yet to play one another.
So far this tournament, Atmane has been on an impressive run, eliminating No. 15-seeded Flavio Cobolli in the Round of 64, and teenage standout Joao Fonseca in the Round of 32.
If Rune is able to get past the winner of the upcoming Fritz/Atmane match, he could then collide with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, who entered this year’s Cincinnati Open eager to defend his 2024 title.
With the day’s action underway from Cincinnati, it’ll be interesting to see how things play out.
Devastated Frances Tiafoe Retires Mid-Match Against Holger Rune