In a recent Davis Cup match, American player Frances Tiafoe was defeated by Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands. Due to Tiafoe’s second straight defeat, the US was eliminated from the competition. The Open Era Davis Cup record for America is now in danger as ATP players continue to collapse in crucial matches. But a bad call by the chair umpire caused the match against Griekspoor to end abruptly.
The third set tie-break was served by the World No. 24 Griekspoor, who was leading the match. Although the ball landed squarely on Tiafoe’s return of the serve, the line umpire ruled that it was out. The call was disputed by Tiafoe. Griekspoor was given a match point after the review concluded that the serve was solid.
However, the serve had already been called when Tiafoe returned it. In light of this, the American told the umpire that he thought the point should be replayed. Even the tournament supervisor had to intervene when the disagreement turned into a fight. But it was useless.
As he approached the middle of the court, Tiafoe hit the ground several times while letting out his frustration through his racket. The American received a penalty point, which led to the complete loss of the game. The game ended abruptly, and in the unfortunate scene, the US was knocked out of the tournament.
CRAZY drama to finish 😱
Tiafoe and USA lose the match and tie to a POINT PENALTY!#DavisCup pic.twitter.com/3ZNjxhL0vF
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 14, 2023
Frances Tiafoe in 2023
At the moment ranked no.11, Tiafoe played his last match on the 14th of September when he lost to world no.24 Tallon Griekspoor 6-3 6-7(7) 7-6(3) in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
At the moment, during this season the American owns a 37-17 match record. The American conquered 3 titles in 2023 in Australia, Houston and Stuttgart.