Japan Open final with a 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 victory over South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo in Tokyo on Saturday. The American, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the U.S.
Open in September, flexed the same muscles that have carried him into the top 20 in the world to reach his second title-decider of the season despite a poor second set. "It was a weird match, but happy to get through," said the 24-year-old. "In these kind of matches ...
it's not always gonna be pretty, it's not always gonna be your best stuff, but a win is what matters." Kwon looked nervous at times in the opener and struggled to handle Tiafoe's deft mix of accuracy, touch and power as the American rattled off five games in a row before sealing the set 6-2.
In the second set, it was Tiafoe's turn to stumble and Kwon seized on his second serve with a series of blistering returns, handing his opponent a bagel to level up the contest and send it into a decider.