Frances Tiafoe is officially out of the US Open.

Ben Shelton played lights-out tennis to send the 10 seed home at the quarterfinal stage of the tournament. 

If that’s the kind of game that it takes to send Frances home, then there’s nothing to be concerned with. Frances can hold his head up high and know that he’s in the middle of putting together quite the career. 

Although he’ll drop to 11 in the world when the new rankings come out, there’s no reason to think his fine and consistent form in 2023 will drop. I see Frances finishing 2023 in the top 10, and setting himself up for another spectacular 2024. 

That’s not to say that 2023 has not been spectacular for Tiafoe. He’s had some outstanding results, starting with a great win at the United Cup to start the year. He followed that with a semifinal appearance at Indian Wells and two tournament wins, on clay in Houston and grass in Stuttgart. And although he underperformed at both the French Open and Wimbledon, he should be proud to have followed up his 2022 US Open semifinal run with a run to the 2023 US Open quarterfinals. 

Next up for Tiafoe is the Laver Cup, followed by the European indoor season, where he tends to play pretty well. Another tournament win before the end of the year is entirely possible, as is a place in the ATP Finals. That would be quite an achievement. 

Along the way, Tiafoe has captured the hearts of fans worldwide with his energy and fantastic game. He’s truly one of the most exciting players to watch at the moment. Long gone are the days where he would have concentration lapses during matches or miss routine forehands on pivotal points. He’s now a complete player, competing at his best week in and week out – and fans have taken note. The future looks bright for this 25-year-old. 

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