Let’s face it. Neither Frances Tiafoe nor Tommy Paul have enjoyed a stellar start to the season. Tiafoe has struggled to replicate his best tennis this season, with quarterfinal appearances proving elusive despite reaching the Round of 16 in several tournaments. His recent loss in the Miami Open’s Round of 32 to Arthur Fils underscores this inconsistency. Conversely, Tommy Paul has shown flashes of strong play, reaching semifinals in Adelaide and Dallas, and a quarterfinal at the Australian Open. However, he also experienced an early exit in Miami, falling to Francisco Cerundolo in the Round of 32. So what’s next for the American duo?
Now the tennis world’s attention begins to shift from the still-undecided Miami Open to the historic Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston, set to run from March 31st to April 6th. Well, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul are the top two seeds in the main draw, who‘ll be kick-starting the campaign here as clear favorites. Well, history is on their side!
Tiafoe will be eyeing a repeat of his 2023 victory in Houston—that saw him remarkably go undefeated in sets and only concede his serve once. He celebrated the moment he celebrated by saying, “My second title, here in Houston on U.S. soil, so thank you!” Last year, the same tournament was brutal for Tiafoe.
In the previous season, he was defeated by his compatriot Ben Shelton in the final in a three-set thriller. The occasion marked the first all-American singles final competed between two Black Americans in Open Era history. After securing victory in that epic battle, Shelton heaped praise on Tiafoe by saying,
“You’ve been such an inspiration to kids, people of color in our sport, just an amazing representation. You’ve been that guy to always put on for us and always be selfless, thinking about others, kids younger than you. So thanks for everything that you do for our sport and people who look like you and me.” Later on, Tiafoe cracked a joke in between all the disappointments and added, “It’s been a really tough year, and playing a final has been really great. It sucks we couldn’t get it done. Screw you, Ben!“
Quick stats for Tiafoe: Stats from tennisstats.com suggest that Tiafoe is currently ranked 17 in the ATP rankings with an ELO score of 2,485. He has a win percentage of 45.5% this season. But according to the stats, the most impressive thing in his game has been Tiafoe averaging 7.89 aces per match in 2025. He is better than 95% of the players in terms of Aces Per Match during their latest matches.
As things stand this year, he could start his campaign in Houston facing either Michael Mmoh or Adam Walton in his R16 match. Despite a near miss last year, the question remains: can Tiafoe mount a successful comeback and lift the Houston trophy once again?
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 10, 2021 Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. during his second round match against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic REUTERS/Loren Elliott
For Tommy Paul, the upcoming Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston marks a return to the very place where his ATP Tour journey began. It was in Houston, back in 2016, that he secured his first career match win against Paolo Lorenzi. Now, nine years and 175 wins later, Paul comes back to River Oaks, a testament to his growth and journey in the sport. And the tournament officials are thrilled!
“We are thrilled Tommy will be coming back to Houston, especially on the heels of his excellent 2024 season,” said Tournament Director Bronwyn Greer. “The interest since our 2024 final has truly been unprecedented, so we are eagerly counting down the days until we can bring everyone back together once again for another tournament.”
Quick stats for Paul: Stats from tennisstats.com suggest that Paul is ranked 13th in the ATP Rankings with an ELO score of 3,030. He is in good form with an impressive 72.2% wins. He has an average of 6.08 aces per match in 2025, and that’s better than 88% of the players in terms of Aces Per Match during their latest matches.
While time will tell if Tiafoe and Paul can put up a show in Houston this time around, other American names to appear in the tournament include Reily Opelka, Alex Michelsen, and Brandon Nakashima. Moreover, Kei Nishikori, who recently withdrew from the Miami opener due to a back injury, is also set to make a comeback in this tournament. While announcing his withdrawal for Miami, Nishikori had mentioned, “I will now go home and get ready for the clay court season.” Is he now ready to take on either Rinky Hijikata or Christopher Eubanks in his first match?
All these players are among the big names that will be participating in this tournament. And while Tiafoe’s history at the tournament suggests he may have a real chance at the title this year, Serena Williams’ ex-coach has raised some concerns.
Rennae Stubbs thinks Frances Tiafoe has “lost his mojo”
Frances Tiafoe was defeated by Fils by a 6(11)-7,7-5,2-6 scoreline in the R32 of the Miami Open. There were moments when fans even saw him losing his composure and smashing his racket on the ground. These things are pretty rare with someone like Tiafoe, right? Following his exit from the Miami Open, he shared a post on his social media account with the caption, “Don’t be soo focused on your dreams….you forget your living them already’ .” And Leslie’s reaction?
Following this post, WNBA icon Lisa Leslie, a long-time supporter of Tiafoe, simply commented, “Facts.” However, not everyone shares this unwavering optimism. Rennae Stubbs, for example, has voiced concerns about Tiafoe’s recent performances, sharing her thoughts on her podcast after observing his struggles in the 2025 season.
“I don’t know what is going on with Frances. He has sort of lost his mojo a little bit. It was a good three-set match [against Fils]. But I don’t know. Maybe he has peaked. I think he peaked at the US Open a couple of years ago. He doesn’t have a lot of weapons and at some point you kind of plateau at a certain place.” She also added, “I think he has probably made enough money to be super comfortable for the rest of his life. Is that a determining factor in pushing him to the toughest of moments? Maybe.“
Nevertheless, Houston has been one of the favorite tournaments for Tiafoe. Do you think he can make a strong comeback here?
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