A tearful Roger Federer bid goodbye to a 25-year career with defeat at the Laver Cup in a doubles contest that went past midnight in London.

Federer teamed with long-time rival Rafael Nadal against American duo Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock as Team Europe face Team World at the O2 Arena.

After winning the first set, the Swiss and the Spaniard were faced with a spirited fightback from Tiafoe and Sock, who won a second-set tie-break before also clinching the match tie-break to seal victory 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 11-9.

There had been a great atmosphere in London on Friday for the fifth edition of the three-day competition.

Federer, 41, had not played a match since he was knocked out of Wimbledon by Hubert Hurkacz at the quarter-final stage last year due to knee injury.

There were huge cheers when Federer and Nadal came onto the court and loud roars for the Swiss great when he came up with his first winner.

There was a sensational moment in the first set when Federer appeared to have won a point after his shot hit the top of the net and bounced in, only for a replay to show the ball had somehow been hit through a small hole between the net and the post, meaning Team Europe lost the point, despite the remarkably unlikely event of the ball passing through such a gap.

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were among Federer and Nadal's team-mates offering some tactical input between games, and the legendary duo had to save a first break point of the match before the Spaniard held to put them 5-4 up.

It was two of the all-time greats that took a tight opening set when Sock put a volley into the net, prompting Team World captain John McEnroe to tell his doubles pair they appeared to be getting "caught up in the hoopla." 

A determined Team World managed to level it up after a back-and-forth second set went to a tie-break, with Tiafoe and Sock coming out on top with their superior power and pace.

That took it to a dramatic deciding match tie-break, with every point keeping fans holding their breath, including some trademark Federer magic at 6-7 when he diverted a Sock shot across court for a crowd-pleasing winner.

It looked like the dream script was being followed as Federer served at match point for himself and Nadal, but the former could only hit a shot into the net, before Sock and Tiafoe won the next two points to secure the win for Team World.

It was then hugs all round as respect was paid to the 20-time grand slam winner at the conclusion of a phenomenal career. 

Earlier in the day, Casper Ruud drew first blood for the Team Europe, beating Sock 6-4 5-7 10-7, before Stefanos Tsitsipas doubled their advantage with an emphatic 6-2 6-1 defeat of Diego Schwartzman.

There was drama after the first set of that second singles match when a protester, wearing a T-shirt with the message, "END UK PRIVATE JETS" on, set their arm alight on court before being escorted out by security. 

Alex de Minaur then got Team World on the board with a 5-7 6-3 10-7 success over home favourite Murray before the late-night main event under the lights.

Frances Tiafoe has replaced John Isner in the Team World line-up for next week's Laver Cup in London.

Isner has failed to recover from the wrist injury that forced him to withdraw from the US Open ahead of his second-round match against Holger Rune.

Fellow American Tiafoe knocked out Rafael Nadal en route to reaching the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, where he was beaten by tournament winner Carlos Alcaraz.

The 24-year-old, now at a career high of 19th in the ATP rankings, will take Isner's place at the O2 Arena as Team World aim to end Team Europe's run of four triumphs in a row.

Tiafoe previously took part in the tournament in 2017 and 2018, but has missed the past two editions.

Team World captain John McEnroe said: "I am thrilled to have Frances on the team. 

"He's raised his game to a whole new level and has shown he can compete and win against the best players on Tour. He brings a positive energy that should help the entire team."

Tiafoe joins Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz, Diego Schwartzman, Alex de Minaur and Jack Sock on McEnroe's six-man team.

Team Europe, led by Bjorn Borg, is made up of Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

The tournament is contested on an indoor hard court and runs for three days from September 23.

Carlos Alcaraz will "give everything" to win the US Open and become world number one as he prepares to face Casper Ruud in Sunday's final.

Alcaraz overcame home favourite Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling five-set semi-final at Flushing Meadows on Friday, winning 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-3.

The 19-year-old will take on Ruud for the title after the Norwegian beat Karen Khachanov in four sets earlier in the day.

The honour of becoming world number one will also be on the line for both, after current holder Daniil Medvedev was eliminated in the round of 16 by Nick Kyrgios.

Speaking on-court after his victory against a spirited Tiafoe, Alcaraz said: "To be honest in the semi-final of a grand slam you have to give everything. 

"We have to fight until the last ball. It doesn't matter if we are fighting for five hours, six hours. It doesn't matter. You have to give everything on court. Frances gave everything on court. This is amazing."

The winner of Sunday's final will seal his first career grand slam, while Alcaraz will create history if he wins as it will make him the youngest world number one since the ATP rankings began in 1973.

It will be the Spaniard's first grand slam final, while his opponent appeared in a losing effort to Rafael Nadal in June's French Open final.

Alcaraz will need to recover from his third consecutive five-set match at the US Open, but insisted he will "give everything" to win.

"It's amazing to be able to fight for big things. First time in the final of a grand slam. I can see the number one in the world, but at the same time it's so far away," Alcaraz added.

"I have one more to go against a player who is unbelievable. He deserves to play a final. He played the final of a grand slam in Roland Garros. This is my first time. 

"I'm going to give everything that I have. I will have to handle the nerves of being in a final of a grand slam, but obviously I'm really, really happy and as I said before every match, I'm going to enjoy the moment."

Frances Tiafoe insisted he will return and win the US Open "one day" after coming up short in an enthralling five-set semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz.

The home favourite won the first and fourth sets on tie breaks, only to lose the decider as his 19-year-old opponent sealed a 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 victory on Friday.

Tiafoe was emotional after his loss as an appreciative crowd at Flushing Meadows acknowledged his efforts.

"I gave everything I had," he said during his on-court interview. "Too good from Carlos tonight.

"I gave everything I had for the last two weeks. I came here wanting to win the US Open and I feel I let you guys down."

The 24-year-old had an impressive run in the tournament, beating higher seeds Diego Schwartzman, Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev to reach the final four.

"This one hurts. This one really, really hurts," he added. "Too good from Carlos, you're gonna win a lot of grand slams, you're a hell of a player, hell of a person.

"I'm happy I got to share the court and such a big stage with you. 

"I'm going to come back and I will win this thing one day. I'm sorry guys."

Alcaraz will face Casper Ruud in Sunday's final after the Norwegian beat Karen Khachanov in four sets in Friday's other semi-final.

Carlos Alcaraz is having a remarkable breakthrough season, and he has a chance to put an exclamation point on it after defeating Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 in Friday's US Open semi-final.

It will be 19-year-old Alcaraz's first appearance in a grand slam final, and with a win against Casper Ruud he will also become the youngest world number one in men's tennis history, beating out Lleyton Hewitt (20 years and nine months old) by over a year.

In a tight first set where both players failed to capitalise on their break point opportunities, Tiafoe saved an Alcaraz set point to force the tiebreaker, where he would finally secure the opening frame with the fourth set point of his own.

With such fine margins deciding the outcomes, some sloppy serving would flip the script in the second set. After Tiafoe had no double faults in the first and Alcaraz had three, it was Alcaraz cleaning things up to post zero for the rest of the match.

Meanwhile, Tiafoe had a pair of costly double faults in the second, which ultimately led to the only break in the set, as Alcaraz converted one of his four opportunities, while saving the three break points he faced.

Tiafoe's vaunted serve continued to meltdown in the third frame, dropping his first-serve accuracy from 67 per cent to 30 per cent, which led to him winning just 35 per cent (seven-of-20) of his service points as Alcaraz lifted.

Alcaraz needed only 34 minutes to wrap up the third set, thanks in large part to Tiafoe committing 12 unforced errors with only six winners, as the Spaniard finished the set with just one ace and four winners.

As the double faults and unforced errors faded away, Tiafoe rediscovered the kind of form and fight that saw him stylishly handle the challenge of Rafael Nadal earlier this week. Tiafoe and Alcaraz traded breaks in four consecutive games in the fourth set, with the American having to save a match point to force another tiebreaker where he would prevail.

But Alcaraz would not be denied, grabbing a crucial break in the opening game of the fifth set, and when Tiafoe snatched it back, his joy was short-lived as Alcaraz re-broke in the very next game to-love, and once more to finish the match.

Data Slam: Alcaraz way ahead of schedule

If he defeats Ruud in the final, Alcaraz will become the second-youngest men's US Open champion ever at 19 years and four months old, trailing only Pete Sampras (19 years, 28 days). 

Both the third and fourth-youngest champions – Oliver Campbell (19 years, six months) and Richard Sears (19 years, 10 months) – won their titles in the late-1800s. 

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Alcaraz - 6/3

Tiafoe - 15/6

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Alcaraz - 59/37

Tiafoe - 51/52

BREAK POINTS WON

Alcaraz - 9/20

Tiafoe - 3/7

Frances Tiafoe celebrated a "crazy" win after his defeat of Andrey Rublev saw him become the first American man to reach the US Open semi-finals in 16 years.

Tiafoe stunned Rafael Nadal on Monday and followed up that career-high by reaching the last four of a major for the first time on Wednesday.

Ninth seed Rublev, who has lost all six of his grand slam quarter-finals, stood in his way but Tiafoe prevailed 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 24-year-old is the first male player from the United States to reach a semi-final at Flushing Meadows since Andy Roddick in 2006.

Roddick went on to reach the final that year, though fell short of winning a second US Open final as he lost to Roger Federer.

This time around, Tiafoe will face either Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz, who has a shot at becoming the new world number one. 

"This is wild, this is crazy," world number 26 Tiafoe said after his win. 

"I had the biggest win of my life 48 hours ago and coming out and getting another big win. Andrey's a hell of a player, and to back it up, that's huge. It's tough to turn the page, but I did and now I'm in the semis.

"I feel so at home on courts like this. This court is unbelievable. [The crowd] gets so far behind me, I want to play, I want to give my best. I always find a way somehow on this court, I always play some great tennis and I have been. Let's enjoy this, we've got two more."

Tiafoe might well be the only home hope left for the American crowd to back in New York come the end of play on Wednesday, with Jessica Pegula facing the daunting task of taking on world number one Iga Swiatek in the women's singles.

Frances Tiafoe is dreaming big after upsetting Rafael Nadal in the US Open fourth round on Monday to open up the men's singles draw.

The 22nd-seeded American stunned the 22-time grand slam champion, winning 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3 in three hours and 34 minutes.

The victory meant Tiafoe reached the US Open quarter-finals for the first time, having fallen in the fourth round in the past three years. It also equaled his best-ever major return, having made the 2019 Australian Open quarters as well.

It also opens up the men's singles draw for a potential new grand slam winner, with Marin Cilic – who is due to play third seed Carlos Alcaraz on Monday evening – the last remaining major champion.

"Everyone is looking at it I'm sure," Tiafoe told reporters about the draw. "Everyone looks at it. Here we go, right? So am I. I'm just taking it day by day.

"Slams, crazy things can happen. Especially here in New York, so it's going to be a fun ride come Wednesday."

Tiafoe will take on ninth seed Andrey Rublev on Wednesday in the last eight, where he will hope to re-produce the "unbelievable" form he displayed against Nadal.

"I'm beyond happy, almost in tears, I can't believe it," Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. "I played unbelievable tennis today. I really don't know what happened."

During his press conference, he added: "It was definitely one hell of a performance… I just came out there and I just believed I could do it.

"It helps I played him a couple times. Haven't played him in some years [not since 2019]. I'm a different person now, different player."

Tiafoe had never beaten Nadal before, nor had he taken a set off the Spanish world number three. The victory was Tiafoe's third against a top-five opponent.

"For a while there, I was like, geez, you see all these young guys get Rafa, Fed [Roger Federer], Novak [Djokovic], am I ever going to be able to say I beat one of them?" he said.

"Today I was like, no, I'm going to do that. Now it's something to tell the kids, the grandkids, I beat Rafa."

Tiafoe was also blown away after four-time NBA MVP LeBron James tweeted after his win, labeling him the "young king".

"I was losing it in the locker room. I was going crazy," he said. "That's my guy, so to see him post that, I was like do I retweet it as soon as he sent it? I was like, you know what, I'm going to be cool and act like I didn't see it and then retweet it three hours later."

Frances Tiafoe produced a stunning performance to knock Rafael Nadal out of the US Open and reach the quarter-finals of his home grand slam for the first time.

Tiafoe was playing in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the third successive year, but his prospects of going beyond that point appeared slim against the 22-time grand slam champion.

Nadal had won his two previous encounters with Tiafoe but found the 24-year-old up to the challenge this time around, his firepower proving too much for his illustrious opponent.

So often Nadal has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and there were moments during his epic that he seemed primed to do so again. Yet winning the second set and breaking at the start of the fourth both proved false dawns for Nadal, as Tiafoe prevailed 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3 to blow a men's draw that has already lost 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev wide open.

It became clear early on that the pace of Tiafoe's ball-striking and the variety in his game would cause Nadal problems and he got the break his play deserved when the Spaniard sent a pair of forehands long in the seventh game.

Tiafoe rarely looked daunted by the occasion and though he let a pair of set points go begging after going 40-0 up at 5-4, he snatched the third with a volley to ensure Nadal would have to mount a comeback.

A classic Nadal turnaround appeared very much on the cards when Tiafoe's composure deserted him trailing 5-4 on serve in the second, a double fault from the American allowing Nadal to level the match.

But any thought of Nadal, curiously unable to make an impression on Tiafoe's second serve, dominating from there was soon extinguished, Tiafoe breaking for a 4-3 lead in the third with a searing backhand down the line.

Tiafoe consolidated with an intelligent serve and volley play on his second serve and, after a Nadal hold, made no mistake in winning the third set on his racquet with an ace.

Controversy soon followed as Nadal broke a furious Tiafoe with a vicious forehand in a game played as the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof was closing.

Tiafoe received a code violation for "audible obscenity" after venting his frustration at that decision by the tournament officials, but he harnessed his anger in the right way. Nadal sent down a pair of double faults in an uncharacteristically sloppy service game and Tiafoe capitalised with a cross-court backhand that proved too hot for the four-time champion to handle.

A backhand error from Nadal gave Tiafoe another break for a 4-3, and he subsequently raced to the finish line, getting 40-0 on Nadal's serve and then completing the fairytale with on his second match point as Nadal sent another backhand into the net.

Data Slam: Tiafoe hands Nadal first grand slam loss of 2022

After winning both the Australian Open and the French Open, and withdrawing from Wimbledon due to injury, this is Nadal's first loss at a grand slam this year.

Tiafoe also joins James Blake and Andy Roddick as the only Americans to ever defeat Nadal at a grand slam, and it snaps Nadal's streak of 16 consecutive grand slam quarter-final appearances.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Tiafoe – 18/4

Nadal – 9/9

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Tiafoe – 48/28

Nadal – 33/26

BREAK POINTS WON

Tiafoe – 5/8

Nadal – 2/6

Rafael Nadal says his third-round win over Richard Gasquet was his best of this year's US Open as he works his way back after the abdominal tear that ended his Wimbledon campaign.

Prior to the US Open, Nadal had only played once since withdrawing from the Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios in early July, losing to Borna Coric in Cincinnati.

The second seed got past Rinky Hijikata and Fabio Fognini in four sets in the first two rounds at Flushing Meadows before Saturday's 6-0 6-1 7-5 win over French veteran Richard Gasquet in two hours and 17 minutes.

"My best match in the tournament," Nadal told reporters. "Easy to say that because the other day was tough.

"But important improvement. But I need to keep going. It's a good victory for me. Straight sets for the first time. Third set had been a challenge. He increased the level.

"I went through some difficult moments. That's something that is good that I went through that and saved that moments with a positive feelings. Happy to be in the fourth round, without a doubt."

The victory over Gasquet meant he has progressed to the second week at Flushing Meadows for the 12th time in his career, although he conceded he would need to lift his level to take out the title, starting with Monday's fourth-round match with 22nd seed Frances Tiafoe.

Nadal is gunning for his third major title this calendar year in New York, having triumphed at the Australian Open and French Open.

The 36-year-old's Australian Open success in February came after minimal preparation due to a foot injury, similar to his US Open lead-up due to the abdominal issue.

"I think I played better in Australia than here going to the second week," Nadal said. "But I have zero background in terms of victories and all this stuff.

"Here I played little bit worse than in Australia, without a doubt. But the story of the year and the results on the slams have been incredible, so that helps.

"I don't know the balance, what's better or worse. But all these victories help to be a little bit more confident. It's a moment to increase, to making a step forward."

"Second week against a great player like Frances, I need to be ready to play and to raise my level. I hope to be able to make that happen.

"I know is the right moment to make an improvement if I want to keep having chances to keep going on the tournament."

Nick Kyrgios started his Friday by finishing off his third-round win against Reilly Opelka, and his business was not finished until after 1am local time when he defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (14-12) 6-2 in the quarter-final.

Due to length rain delays on Thursday, Kyrgios was one of five players forced to abandon their matches and return to finish them first thing on Friday, with Kyrgios and Russia's Andrey Rublev the only two to successfully navigate both.

Tiafoe defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 4-6 6-2 6-3 in the morning, but Kyrgios' ability to keep his service games short was a decisive factor, winning the ace count 35-14 and not conceding a single break all match.

Rublev had to deal with Maxime Cressy in the morning, winning 6-4 7-6 (10-8), setting up a quarter-final later at night against J.J. Wolf after the American defeated Holger Rune 7-5 4-6 6-3.

Rublev made his second match look far easier, cruising through 6-2 6-3 to earn a semi-final against Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka after he needed over three-and-a-half hours to beat Daniel Evans 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-5.

In an all-unseeded semi-final, Kyrgios will play Sweden's Mikael Ymer, who fought his way past Sebastian Korda 6-2 5-7 6-3 after the American beat Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 4-6 6-1 6-2 earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, down in Mexico at the Los Cabos Open, Daniil Medvedev earned his spot in the final by defeating Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6 (7-0) 6-1.

Medvedev will play England's Cameron Norrie for the title after he prevailed in arguably the match of the tournament against top-10 talent Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4 3-6 6-3.

Frances Tiafoe was an impressive winner of his quarter-final matchup against Brandon Nakashima in Friday's action at the Atlanta Open, cruising in straight sets 6-4 6-2.

Tiafoe, the fourth seed, was in control throughout, capitalising on a pair of double faults in the first set to grab the early break. 

He also had a clear advantage with his second serve, winning 76 per cent of those opportunities (13-of-17) compared to 36 per cent for Nakashima (five-of-14).

Tiafoe will play Jenson Brooksby in the semi-final after he defeated big-serving 37-year-old John Isner 3-6 6-1 6-4.

Isner's serve was uncharacteristically vulnerable after the first set, winning 90 per cent of his successful first serves in the opener, before that number plummeted to 46 per cent in the second, and 59 per cent in the last.

Ilya Ivashka pulled off the upset of the day by knocking out fifth seed Tommy Paul, continuing a terrific run of form. Ivashka is now 7-3 from his past 10 matches, with his three-losses coming against superstars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev (twice).

He will play Australian Alex de Minaur in the other semi-final after he came from a set behind to run over the top of Adrian Mannarino 4-6 6-3 6-0.

Mannarino showed he has what it takes to compete with a top-30 talent like De Minaur, but the 34-year-old simply ran out of gas towards the end of the second set.

In the deciding set, De Minaur won 70 per cent of his points on serve (14-of-20) and 72 per cent of his return points (13-of-18).

It was smooth sailing for the seeded competitors in action on Wednesday at the Atlanta Open, with Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima all advancing in straight sets.

Fifth seed Paul started the day off with a straightforward 6-3 6-3 win against South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo thanks to a clear advantage with his serving. He won 73 per cent (36-of-49) of his points on serve, while Kwon could only muster 53 per cent (34-of-64).

Paul will meet Belarus' Ilya Ivashka in the quarter-finals after he successfully navigated the challenge of America's Steve Johnson 4-6 6-2 6-4 after Johnson was a late injury replacement for top overall seed Reilly Opelka.

Ivashka is now 6-3 in his nine matches since the French Open, with his only losses against top-five talents Stefano Tsitsipas and twice against Daniil Medvedev.

Fourth seed Tiafoe was impressive against Japan's Taro Daniel, creating eight total break point opportunities, and capitalising on three. 

Tiafoe will play Nakashima in the quarter-finals, with the American surviving a tough first set tiebreaker to eventually defeat Australia's John Millman 7-6 (10-8) 6-4.

In a closely contested match, Nakashima avoided getting into many sticky situations, saving the only break point he faced.

Carlos Alcaraz does not believe he should be considered among the favourites to win Wimbledon given his lack of experience playing on grass. 

The teenage Spaniard is enjoying a breakout season, having won a pair of ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid and picked up further silverware in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona. 

Alcaraz has been seeded fifth for just his second main-draw appearance at Wimbledon. Last year, he beat Yasutaka Uchiyama in five sets before falling to a straight-sets defeat against Daniil Medvedev. 

They are Alcaraz's only ATP Tour-level matches on grass, so his main focus heading to the All England Club is to simply improve his feel for the surface. 

"I don't mind being in the spotlight, I don't see it as pressure, but I've seen that I'm considered one of the favourites for Wimbledon. I don't see it that way at all," Alcaraz told the Spanish media. 

"There are many players who play better than me on grass. [Novak] Djokovic, Rafa [Rafael Nadal], [Matteo] Berrettini... We are going to try to gain experience on this surface. 

"Knowing how to move well on grass is very important. I think it's the key to being able to get good results. We're trying to improve in mobility and the small details that are more important on this surface. 

"Being more aggressive, trying to take advantage of the fact that I volley well – those things." 

Alcaraz is playing an exhibition tournament at Hurlingham this week and lost his opening match against Frances Tiafoe 6-4 6-2 on Thursday. 

The world number seven has been struggling with an elbow issue, but experienced no discomfort during his defeat. 

"A week ago, I couldn't train at all," he added. "I came here unsure if I was going to be able to play normally.

"The days I've been able to train I've felt quite well – zero pain in the elbow – and today there was no pain in the match with Tiafoe."

Aslan Karatsev staved off a match point to earn a meeting with Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Internazionali d'Italia. 

After coming from a set down to force a decider against Lloyd Harris in his opening match in Rome, Karatsev held serve when facing match point in a back-and-forth tie-break. 

The Russian had already missed a chance to break for the match but did not fail at the second attempt, completing a 3-6 6-3 7-6 (9-7) win to book a date with world number one Djokovic.

Djokovic will be eager to get back on track after suffering a defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open.

Filip Krajinovic's reward for a 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-4) victory over Frances Tiafoe is a showdown with Andrey Rublev, while Cristian Garin will take on the in-form Alcaraz following a 6-3 6-2 success over wildcard Francesco Passaro. 

Marin Cilic was the other main-draw winner on Sunday, cruising past Matteo Arnaldi 6-1 6-4 in an hour and 20 minutes. 

Sebastian Baez sealed a straight-sets win against Frances Tiafoe in the final of the Estoril Open on Sunday.

The Argentinian put in a powerful performance to ease past the American fifth seed, winning 6-3 6-2 in Portugal in just 74 minutes.

It was a fast start from Tiafoe, breaking Baez in the opening game, before the 21-year-old secured back-to-back breaks of his own in the fourth and sixth games to edge ahead, ultimately taking the first set.

The second set started evenly, but from 2-2, Baez put his foot down, again breaking consecutive Tiafoe service games, before serving out for the title.

The first serve was the difference for Baez, making 64 per cent of his compared to Tiafoe, who managed just 39 per cent.

Baez was also more effective when he needed his second serve, winning 61 per cent of points, with his opponent winning only 39 per cent from his own second serve.