DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Frances Tiafoe gained momentum Sunday in his bid for another Delray Beach Open title by winning a seesaw match against fellow American Bjorn Fratangelo, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
Tiafoe won his first ATP Tour title as a 20-year-old wild card at Delray Beach in 2018. His career record is 9-2 in the tournament and 62-93 elsewhere on the ATP Tour.
“I love playing here,” Tiafoe said. “I love South Florida. It’s a good vibe.”
Cameron Norrie of Britain beat No. 3-seeded Adrian Mannarino of France, 6-2, 7-5, and on Monday will face Tiafoe.
“He chopped me up pretty good the other day in practice,” Norrie said. “He’s playing great — he is moving well and serving big, so it’s going to be really tough. But I’m playing well too.”
No. 4-seeded Hubert Hurkacz of Poland also reached the quarterfinals, beating Daniel Elahi Galan of Colombia, 6-2, 6-2. Hurkacz will next face qualifier Roberto Quiroz of Ecuador, who eliminated Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, 6-2, 6-4.
Tiafoe, seeded eighth, won the final four games of the first set and dominated the final set. He lost only eight points on his first serve against Fratangelo.
“We’ve known each other for a long time,” Tiafoe said. “He’s a tough opponent. It’s never easy playing somebody you like.”
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