Tiafoe battles past Daniel to advance at Dallas Open

DALLAS: Frances Tiafoe returned to the court for the first time since his surprising second-round exit at the Australian Open, defeating Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Dallas Open on Monday.

The fifth-seeded Maryland native secured the only service break of the decisive third set to take a 2-1 lead. Despite facing resistance, Tiafoe needed four match points over the final two games to clinch the hard-fought victory.

In other matches, eighth-seeded Matteo Arnaldi of Italy ousted American Christopher Eubanks 6-3, 6-4.

A showdown between young U.S. talents saw 20-year-old qualifier Ethan Quinn defeat 18-year-old wild-card entrant Trevor Svajda 6-4, 6-2. Australia’s Rinky Hijikata edged France’s Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-3, while Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina advanced with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over American Brandon Holt.(Reuters)