In the “House that Tiafoe Built” on Sunday, Frances Tiafoe was in his element. The crowd was electric, and the chants were plentiful.
But there was a time when the “1, 2, 3, Foe” chant – heard several times during Tiafoe’s fourth-round upset victory over Daniil Medvedev at Louis Armstrong Stadium – that the American tennis star wasn’t overly thrilled with it.
“I thought it was annoying, actually, at first, I’m not going to lie to you,” Tiafoe admitted after the win.
According to Tiafoe, the chant started during the Cincinnati Open.
“I mean, Cincy it was absurd,” he continued. “I was playing second on, after 7:00, and guys were lit and saying it every other point. It’s funny when you’re winning, but there was times where, like, I wasn’t doing so well in the match, and I’m like, I’m not trying to hear that.
“But, I mean, obviously, you know, they just want to see me win and do well.”
However, Tiafoe is now a fan of the chant, which makes sense, especially considering his success in Queens during this year’s U.S. Open.
Tiafoe is headed to a showdown with fellow American Alex Michelsen for a spot in the semifinals on Tuesday.
His win over Medvedev on Sunday extended his record to a perfect 10-0 at Louis Armstrong Stadium during his career.
“Now it’s starting to grow on me,” he said about the chant. “I actually started to like it quite a lot. I’ll put it up there [among my favorite chants]. I’ll put it up there.”
Tiafoe is vying for the first Grand Slam title of his career and is two years removed from a semifinals appearance in Flushing Meadows, when he was knocked out in five sets by fellow American Taylor Fritz.
Tiafoe and Michelsen will face one another on Tuesday afternoon at Arthur Ashe.
