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Bradley Beal cheers on Frances Tiafoe's run to U.S. Open semifinals

Bradley Beal had a front-row seat to celebrate Frances Tiafoe's win in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

From NBA.com News Services

Frances Tiafoe powered past Andrey Rublev to reach the U.S. Open semifinals.

Frances Tiafoe continued his remarkable run at the U.S. Open with a three-set win over Andrey Rublev to reach the U.S. Open semifinals.

Washington Wizards three-time All-Star Bradley Beal was there to witness the win as Tiafoe became the first U.S. man to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Andy Roddick in 2006 and the first Black man from the U.S. to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Arthur Ashe in 1972.

The 24-year-old Tiafoe, who grew up in Maryland, put on a performance just as strong, if not stronger, than the one he used to eliminate 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

“Man, man, this is wild. This is crazy. Had the biggest win of my life 24 hours ago. … That’s huge growth. it’s tough to turn the page,” said Tiafoe, who is seeded 22nd at Flushing Meadows.

Then, looking ahead, and making sure everyone knows this big milestone is not enough to satisfy him, Tiafoe said: “Let’s enjoy this one. We’ve got two more, guys. We’ve got two more.”

Beal was at the match when Tiafoe knocked off Nadal on Monday, pumping his fists and nodding as the unexpected outcome unfolded. He then recounted what Tiafoe’s brother told him before he was back on the court against the ninth-seeded Rublev.

“He was sitting there after he beat Nadal, and he was kind of obviously enjoying the moment, but it’s like, believe it,” Beal said. “Believe that you belong and believe that you’ve worked so hard for this moment. This is your time, so embrace it. Embrace being on this stage, and he’s doing that.”

Tiafoe was more than aware of Beal’s presence, acknowledging after the match how special it was that Washington D.C.’s franchise player would attend his match.

“My favorite basketball player in the NBA Bradley Beal got to watch this,” Tiafoe said. “… His first tennis match, that was super cool, talking to him after. Yeah, he wants to come again. It was cool. Special day for me.”

Beal said he has known Tiafoe since both were early in their careers. Beal was just finishing his second season in Washington in 2014 when Tiafoe, who grew up in Maryland, made his ATP Tour debut in the city’s tournament.

“I met him when I was in D.C. when I was a little kid coming up trying to make my name and the same with him,” Beal said. “He was trying to make his name, too. So I’m just happy for him.

“I couldn’t be more proud of him, honestly.”

Tiafoe was thrilled — overwhelmed, even — when the last point was over and it hit him that, yes, he had ended Nadal’s 22-match Grand Slam winning streak Monday and reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the first time.

“I felt like the world stopped,” Tiafoe said. “I couldn’t hear anything for a minute.”

Then Tiafoe found himself “losing it in the locker room” when he saw that NBA superstar LeBron James gave him a Twitter shoutout.

“Bro,” Tiafoe said, “I was going crazy.”

What meant the most to Tiafoe about his 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over 22-time major champion Nadal in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows, though, was looking up in his Arthur Ashe Stadium guest box and knowing his parents, Constant and Alphina, were there.

“To see them experience me beat Rafa Nadal — they’ve seen me have big wins, but to beat those ‘Mount Rushmore’ guys? For them, I can’t imagine what was going through their heads,” said Tiafoe, a 24-year-old American seeded 22nd at the U.S. Open. “I mean, they’re going to remember today for the rest of their lives.”

His parents both emigrated to the United States from Sierra Leone in West Africa amid its civil war in the 1990s. They ended up in Maryland, where Constant helped construct a tennis training center for juniors, then became a maintenance man there; Alphina, Frances said, was “a nurse, working two jobs, working overtime through the nights.” Frances and his twin brother, Franklin, were born in 1998, and soon would be spending hour upon hour where Dad’s job was, rackets in hand.

“It wasn’t anything supposed to be like this,” Tiafoe said Monday evening, hours after by far his biggest victory.

He is the youngest American man to get this far at the U.S. Open since Andy Roddick in 2006, but this was not a case of a one-sided crowd backing one of its own. Nadal is about as popular as it gets in tennis and heard plenty of support as the volume raised after the retractable roof was shut in the fourth set.

“It’s something to tell the kids, the grandkids: ‘Yeah, I beat Rafa,’” Tiafoe said with a big smile.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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