Frances Tiafoe ’s opening match at the 2025 US Open had everything you’d expect from a tennis thriller. Except maybe the part where his opponent completely lost his mind on court. The 17th-seeded American gutted out a 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-3 victory over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, but this wasn’t your typical straight-sets cruise control.

Let me paint you a picture: Here’s Tiafoe, a guy who’s made the semifinals twice at Flushing Meadows and genuinely loves playing in New York more than anywhere else on tour, facing off against a 29-year-old who’s spent most of his career as tennis’s vers ion of a journeyman. Should’ve been routine business, right? Wrong.

When Opponents Lose Their Cool (And Their Minds)

The real story wasn’t Tiafoe’s serve, though those 19 aces were absolutely filthy, but r

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