The 26th edition of the Delray Beach Open featured the strongest field in the tournament’s history. Big names such as Juan Martin Del Potro, Milos Raonic, John Isner, and Jack Sock headlined the event, but it all comes down to #64 ranked Peter Gojowczyk and NextGen star Frances Tiafoe.
German Peter Gojowczyk’s final run has been impressive. He’s managed to knock off Lukas Lacko, John Isner, Reilly Opelka, and Steve Johnson en route to his 2nd career ATP final. Last September, Gojowczyk became the first player since 2015 to come through qualifying and win a tour-level event defeating Frenchmen Benoit Paire at the Moselle Open in Metz, France. This is Gojowczyk’s first time playing at the Delray Beach Open.
American Frances Tiafoe will be appearing in his first ATP final on Sunday. Tiafoe has always been regarded as one of the top prospects to watch after becoming the youngest player to win the prestigious Junior Orange Bowl at 15 years old. After a slow start in 2018, Tiafoe has had the best week of his professional career beating his childhood idol Juan Martin Del Potro and then following that up with wins over fellow NextGen stars Hyeon Chung and Denis Shapovalov.
Sunday’s match will be the third meeting between the two. In 2016 Gojowczyk defeated Tiafoe 6-3 6-2 in the 2nd round of qualifying at the Australian Open. Later that year, Tiafoe defeated Gojowczyk 6-4 7-6(5) in the semifinals of the Winnetka Challenger.
It’ll be interesting to see how 20-year-old Frances Tiafoe handles the pressure of playing in his first ATP final. Both players have dealt with the tricky conditions in Delray Beach well so far. It’s worth noting that Gojowczyk has played all of his matches during the day, while Tiafoe has played all of his matches at night except for the continuation of his quarterfinal win over Hyeon Chung.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
