Tiafoe Denies Match Points, Dethrones Mensik in Miami

By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, March 23, 2026
Photo credit: lululemon

The third-set tiebreaker is tennis’ pressure cooker.

Frances Tiafoe feasted on the pressure and delivered his most pulsating win of the season.

Tiafoe saved two match points in the tiebreaker before converting his seventh match point dethroning Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(11) before a festive Miami Grandstand crowd today.

A determined Tiafoe kept calm amid a frenetic 20-minute tiebreaker to secure his spot in his fifth career Miami Open round of 16.

On his seventh match point, Tiafoe narrowly missed an ace down the T.

Kicking his second serve out wide, Tiafoe closed when Mensik’s backhand return went wide.

It took Tiafoe seven match points in a sweaty two hour, 51-minute duel that produced only one service break.

It’s a milestone moment for Tiafoe, who scored his 250th tour-level win of career (250-220 lifetime), joining Taylor Fritz (349) as the only active American men with 250 or more match wins.

It marks the first time since 1996 five American men have reached the Miami round of 16: Tiafoe, Sebastian Korda, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Alex Michelsen.

The 19th-seeded Tiafoe avenged his 6-1, 6-4 loss to Mensik in the Davis Cup Qualifier in Delray Beach last September. Tiafoe will face French left-hander Terence Atmane for a quarterfinal spot.

Relying on his fast-action serve, Atmane surprised seventh-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

The 24-year-old Atmane improved to 3-5 lifetime vs. Top 10 opponents.

Staring down a second match point at 9-10 in the tiebreaker, Tiafoe dug in and won a crackling 25-shot rally to level the breaker, 10-all.

Mensik mashed his 22nd ace down the T to save a sixth match point.

Stepping into the court, Tiafoe tagged a diagonal forehand winner for a seventh match point.

Kicking a bold second serve deep in the box, Tiafoe closed it out.