Frances Tiafoe finds answers in opening round in Cincinnati

Trailing 3-1 in the first set, Frances Tiafoe won six consecutive games en route to a 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday in the first round of the Cincinnati Open.

Tiafoe is 9-2 in opening-round matches on hard courts in 2024, having reached the quarterfinals in Atlanta and the semifinals in Washington, D.C., both this summer.

The American had a chance to defeat his Spanish opponent early in the second set, reaching match point three times. Davidovich Fokina, however, rallied to reach his own set point before Tiafoe rebounded to claim the match in one hour and 44 minutes.

"I thought he played some pretty good points," Tiafoe said of the second set. "Other than the return I had on my racket, the other two he played some good points.

"He's a Spaniard and they fight until the end, so I kind of knew that going in and wasn't too surprised. Obviously, you want to get it done there. It's a good first-round win for me. Quality player, been around for a while, and he wins a lot of matches out here on the Tour, so it was a good win."

Tiafoe recorded six aces and converted 4 of 14 break-point chances. Davidovich Fokina had more winners (29-18) but also more unforced errors (23-8) and double faults (6-3).

American qualifier Alex Michelsen defeated Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 to set up a second-round meeting with top seed Jannik Sinner of Italy.

Michelsen showed off his big serve with 10 aces and won 88 percent (42 of 48) of his first-serve points. He converted 4 of 10 break-point opportunities and totaled 36 winners.

Griekspoor recorded 17 winners but also 19 unforced errors and seven double faults to six aces. He converted one of just three break-point opportunities.

Ben Shelton, seeded 12th, emerged from a narrow 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) victory over fellow American Reilly Opelka. Shelton saved all five break points, while Opelka was 2-for-2.

Opelka smashed 19 aces and 31 winners. His service speed topped out at 146 mph, with Shelton reaching 142 mph.

Australia's Jordan Thompson rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over 13th-seeded Ugo Humbert of France.

Argentina's Sebastian Baez needed three sets to eliminate American Marcos Giron 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (6), while Argentina's Mariano Navone was bounced 7-6 (3), 6-3 by Czech Jiri Lehecka.

Italy's Luciano Darderi defeated Chile's Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 7-6 (5), and China's Zhizhen Zhang topped France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Matches later Tuesday included 11th seed Taylor Fritz facing American wild card Brandon Nakashima, 14th seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy against Nicolas Jarry of Chile, Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka versus Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic and American Brandon Holt against France's Arthur Fils.