Frances Tiafoe advanced to the Acapulco final after recovering from a set down to beat fellow American Brandon Nakashima, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Nakashima served for the match at 6-5 in the second set and earlier had created pressure with triple break point at 3-all. He was also two points from victory at 6-all in the second-set tiebreak, but Tiafoe survived a 71-minute second set and carried the momentum into the decider. He broke in the first game of the third set, extended the lead with another break for 5-2, and, after Nakashima reclaimed one break to close to 5-4, served out the match on his second attempt with a big overhead.

“It’s incredible. The stars are definitely aligning, man, it’s not making sense, anything that happened,” Tiafoe said afterwards.

“Things started to make sense when I was down, obviously I had a couple of net cords there. You know, made every return there at 6-5, but obviously I wasn’t feeling my best. I was just competing and battling, and sometimes you get lucky. Played great tennis in the third—in the third I was the better player.

“Just battling, man. Never say die. I was ready to empty the tank.”

Tiafoe had already shown that temperament earlier in the week, coming back from the brink in his second-round match. He fought off double match point down 6-4 in the third-set tiebreak to defeat Aleksandar Kovacevic, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7), and again displayed resilience in Friday’s semifinal.

The victory moves Tiafoe into the 11th ATP final of his career and gives him a chance at the biggest title of his career. His three ATP titles to date all came at the ATP 250 level, in Delray Beach in 2018 and in Houston and Stuttgart in 2023. He has finished runner-up in three finals at the ATP 500 level or higher: Vienna in 2021 (ATP 500), Tokyo in 2022 (ATP 500) and Cincinnati in 2024 (Masters 1000).

Waiting in the Acapulco final is Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, who rallied from 3-1 down in the third set to beat Miomir Kecmanovic earlier, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4. Cobolli will pursue his third ATP title and the equal-biggest of his career, having won an ATP 500 in Hamburg last year.

Frances Tiafoe will contest the Acapulco title after coming from a set down to defeat countryman Brandon Nakashima in a dramatic semifinal, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Nakashima served for the match at 6-5 in the second set and had earlier brought up triple break point at 3-all, plus two match points at 6-all in the second-set tiebreak. Tiafoe persevered in a marathon 71-minute second set, then broke in the opening game of the decider and again for a 5-2 lead. Nakashima recovered one break to close to 5-4, but Tiafoe served out the win on his second try, finishing with a big overhead.

“It’s incredible. The stars are definitely aligning, man, it’s not making sense, anything that happened,” Tiafoe said afterwards.

“Things started to make sense when I was down, obviously I had a couple of net cords there. You know, made every return there at 6-5, but obviously I wasn’t feeling my best. I was just competing and battling, and sometimes you get lucky. Played great tennis in the third—in the third I was the better player.

“Just battling, man. Never say die. I was ready to empty the tank.”

The win puts Tiafoe into the 11th ATP final of his career and offers a chance at the biggest title of his career. His three ATP titles to date all came at the ATP 250 level: Delray Beach in 2018 and Houston and Stuttgart in 2023. He has reached finals at the ATP 500 level or higher three times previously but finished runner-up each time: Vienna in 2021 (ATP 500), Tokyo in 2022 (ATP 500) and Cincinnati in 2024 (Masters 1000).

Awaiting Tiafoe in the Acapulco final will be Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, who rallied from 3-1 down in the third set to beat Miomir Kecmanovic earlier on the day, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4. Cobolli will pursue his third ATP title and the equal-biggest of his career, having won an ATP 500 in Hamburg last year.

Miomir Kecmanovic recorded the biggest victory of his career to date at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, defeating world No. 4 Alexander Zverev in a three-set, late-evening encounter in Acapulco. The Serbian prevailed 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4) after two hours and 36 minutes, the match ending when Zverev’s backhand slice found the net in the decisive tiebreak.

Kecmanovic produced 13 aces and committed three double faults, winning 69 percent of his second-serve points. After Zverev forced a final set, Kecmanovic took control in the second tiebreak to close out the match.

“I was more aggressive when it mattered. I served a lot better than my usual standard,” Kecmanovic assessed with ATP Media.

“It feels amazing, especially since it’s been a rough couple of years, last few months. Happy that some things are going my way, finally.”

The Acapulco result is the Belgrade native’s first Top 5 victory and comes six and a half years after his maiden Top 10 scalp, when he beat a sixth-ranked Alexander Zverev at the 2019 Cincinnati Open. This outcome also represents Kecmanovic’s first Top 10 upset since he beat Casper Ruud at 2024 Rome.

Kecmanovic began the season 0-4 but has since reached the quarterfinals at two ATP 500 events. The first run came at the Dallas Open, where he edged Tommy Paul before falling in three sets to eventual champion Ben Shelton.

Earlier in his career Kecmanovic’s best wins by ranking included a string of victories over sixth-ranked opponents: Alexander Zverev, Matteo Berrettini at 2022 Indian Wells and Holger Rune at 2023 Stockholm. His triumph in Acapulco adds a new milestone to that record and marks a notable turning point in a season that started slowly.