• He will face Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, fifth seed and world number 20, in the final
• This will be the eleventh final in Tiafoe’s career, in which he has won three titles, and he is seeking his fourth in Acapulco

Acapulco, February 27, 2026.- In the all-American duel in the second semifinal of the 33rd edition of the Mexican Open Telcel presented by HSBC, Frances Tiafoe, eighth seed, came out on top, defeating his compatriot Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.

It was a hard-fought victory for Tiafoe, ranked 28th in the world, who came back from a set down to seal his place in the final against Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, fifth seed and currently ranked 20th in the world.

“Big Foe” came into the match with five wins under his belt, now six, with just one defeat in his head-to-head matches against Nakashima, ranked 29th in the world.

In the first set, Nakashima took a 2-0 lead by defending his serve and breaking Tiafoe, but Tiafoe broke back and held his serve to make it 2-2. Nakashima then won three games in a row, two on his serve and one by breaking his opponent to make it 2-5. Tiafoe won his third game of the set, and Nakashima closed it out on his serve to take it 6-3.

In the second set, with no margin for error, Tiafoe sought a comeback, while Nakashima, in pursuit of victory, tried to stay focused on his game plan. 

Both reached 5-5 by defending their serve, and in the eleventh game, Nakashima made his move by breaking Tiafoe to take a 6-5 lead and seal the victory and a place in the final, but he was unable to close out the match, and Tiafoe tied it up at 6-6 to force a tiebreak, which he won 8-6.

In the third set, Tiafoe opened with a break, then both held serve until 4-2 and lost their serve to make it 5-3. Nakashima closed the gap to 5-4, but Tiafoe sealed the victory after two hours and 50 minutes of play.    

For Tiafoe, this will be the eleventh final of his career, with three titles, all in ATP 250 tournaments: Houston in 2023, Stuttgart in 2023, and Delray Beach in 2018.

It will also be his third final in an ATP 500 tournament after Tokyo 2022 and Vienna 2021. The other four finals were in ATP 250 tournaments in Houston in 2024 and 2025, Estoril in 2018 and 2022, and one in the Cincinnati Masters 1000 in 2024.

“Thank you all for your support. You really pushed me forward in the match with your support. I am grateful for your encouragement and I will try to give my best effort tomorrow in the final,” said the “Big Foe.”