Frances Tiafoe 'super excited' to make Mubadala World Tennis Championship debut

US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe will make his Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) debut this year after the American was confirmed as the sixth player for the Abu Dhabi tournament.

Following the earlier announcements of world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, world No 3 Casper Ruud, and defending champion Andrey Rublev, Tiafoe takes the fourth spot in the six-man event taking place December 16-18 at Zayed Sports City's International Tennis Centre. World No 2 Ons Jabeur and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu will contest the one-off women's match.

“I’m super excited to travel to Abu Dhabi and compete at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship,” said Tiafoe. “Playing in such a competitive tournament before the holidays and at the start of the new season is something I am really looking forward to. It’s going to be a terrific experience against an elite field, and I can’t wait to get out there.”

Tiafoe, 24, is one of the most popular and entertaining players on the ATP Tour, and is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. The American sits at a career-high No 17 in the world rankings having become the first American since 2006 to reach the US Open semi-finals last month, where he lost a five-set thriller to Alcaraz.

Following his run in New York, Tiafoe was instrumental in helping Team World win the Laver Cup for the first time, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas after saving four match points to seal the trophy.

Most recently, Tiafoe reached the final of the Tokyo Open, narrowly missing out on the title to compatriot Taylor Fritz in a final decided by two tiebreaks. He has one career title, achieved at Delray Beach in 2018, and has reached four ATP Tour finals.

A prodigious talent, Tiafoe won the 2013 Orange Bowl