Frances Tiafoe’s winning streak reached seven on Thursday. Just before 8:30 p.m., he watched Jan Choinski’s forehand sail long, clinching a 4-6 6-2 7-5 6-2 win in the 2026 Wimbledon second round, and matching his record win streak on the ATP Tour.
With a 15-8 record at Wimbledon, the All-England Club tournament is Tiafoe’s second-best Grand Slam, according to Tennis Abstract. But the American is yet to get past the fourth round, and the event is the only Grand Slam where he’s yet to reach the quarterfinals. Unlike the previous two seasons, when Tiafoe entered Wimbledon after disappointing poor warm-up tournament results, he arrived this year fresh of the biggest title of his career in Halle, Germany.
“I just feel like I’m playing cleaner,” Tiafoe said in a Tennis Channel interview after his first round match. In Halle, he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in a thrilling third-set tiebreak, and dominated Taylor Fritz in a 6-4 6-4 final.
Tiafoe said in the interview that playing cleaner meant “being tougher.” The American said he felt motivated in “every match,” necessary for a 28-year-old no longer part of the young crop of American players that sought to take over the ATP Tour.
Against Choinski, Tiafoe was still the younger player on Wimbledon’s Court 2. The 30-year-old British veteran likely reminded Tiafoe of some foul memories from last year’s tournament. Coming off a big result at the 2025 French Open, the American lost to the Brit Cameron Norrie in a second round four-setter, with costly misses that Tiafoe described as “all bad luck” in a post-match press conference.
A quieter evening crowd cheered on both players Thursday, with plenty of support for Tiafoe, a crowd favorite. Choinski started off quite well, hitting 13 winners to 11 unforced errors in a 6-4 first set win, and the British crowd seemed to get behind the underdog as he trailed late in the match.
Tiafoe, who can rush and overhit his shots in frustrating moments, outlasted Choinski in the long rallies. In what was the longest rally of the match, at 22 shots at 5-5 in the third set, the American patiently sliced shots deep in the court, before crushing a forehand passing shot winner to set up a break point.
After winning the third set 7-5, Tiafoe’s consistency continued to improve. He hit just four unforced errors in the fourth set, to eight winners. Choinski, who at the time was one of two male Brits remaining in the tournament, hit 13 unforced errors in the fourth set, and 41 total. Up 4-2 in the fourth set, a clean return winner gave Tiafoe all the momentum he needed, slamming the door on the match with a double break.
Tiafoe last hit a seven-match win streak in 2023, starting during the United Cup and concluding with a third round loss at the Australian Open. He went on a longer win streak at ATP Challenger Tour level in 2017, according to Tennis Abstract.
What is Frances Tiafoe able to do on grass courts?
Tiafoe has always played his best tennis on United States hard courts, as a two-time US Open semifinalist, in 2022 and 2024. His forehand, explosive and heavy, can take out most top players on a good day.
So what’s stopping Tiafoe from a big Wimbledon run? A tournament known for posh traditions and strawberries and cream isn’t the place where the crowds get as feisty, which is something Tiafoe enjoys. He tried to get the crowd on his side when battling Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, and he nearly won.
There are no primetime night matches for Tiafoe to electrify a crowd late in the night. And outside the US Open, he has just two career Top 20 wins at Grand Slams. At the US Open, he has six. In New York, Tiafoe has headlined night sessions on show courts like Arthur Ashe Stadium, and knows the importance of a home crowd advantage.
During the Tennis Channel interview, Tiafoe said that with a refreshed mindset, it doesn’t matter what court he plays on.
He’s not in the spotlight–as perhaps not the biggest American star on tour, he hasn’t been placed on the show courts as much during early Grand Slam rounds. Court 18 was the site of his first Wimbledon match, where the small crowds are lively, but can’t create a wild stadium energy that greatly impacts the match. Tiafoe, who described last season as attempting a “total makeover,” won’t mind the smaller courts, as he’s hoping to get back to his highest ranking of No. 10 in the world.
“It starts from within,” Tiafoe said in the interview. “It starts from yourself.”
An Unpredictable Wimbledon Third Round
Alexander Bublik awaits for Tiafoe in the third round, and the pair each have two wins against one another. If Tiafoe wins Saturday — which falls on America’s 250th anniversary — he may face Fritz in a Halle Open rematch.
Some players may fear an unpredictable game like Bublik’s, with the Kazakh’s underarm serves and drop shots frequently coming out of nowhere. Tiafoe will likely not be afraid if Bublik tries to test the American with his variety.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
