"Frances Tiafoe is the most overrated player in tennis" - Fans disappointed as American loses to World No. 144 in shock US Open upset

Frances Tiafoe's US Open campaign came to an early end as he fell short against Jan-Lennard Struff in his third round encounter. After his loss, fans were quick to criticize the American for his lukewarm performance against the World No.144.

Tiafoe, a two-time semifinalist at the US Open, kicked off his time in New York with a dominant win over Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka. He then squared off against Martin Damm Jr., beating his fellow American 6-4, 7-5, 6(8)-7, 7-5. However, the 27-year-old was unable to keep this momentum alive, and he went down to Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets in his third round encounter on Friday.

Fans were left disappointed by Frances Tiafoe's early exit, and they were quick to express their emotions. One fan labelled the American an ‘overrated player', writing on X,

“Tiafoe is the most overrated player in tennis imo.”

Tom

@Tom_afc10182

“Tiafoe is the most overrated player in tennis imo.”

Another fan expressed a similar opinion, writing,

“A useless Tiafoe cannot win a set against a 144 ranked player. Shame.”

Timileyin

@Timrexy17

“A useless Tiafoe cannot win a set against a 144 ranked player. Shame.”

Here is how other tennis enthusiasts reacted to Tiafoe's early exit from the US Open:

“Big Foe 😂😂😂 more like big Struff,” one fan wrote.

“Wasn’t Tiafoe supposed to beat either Sinner or Alcaraz?” another questioned.

“What will Tiafoe drops to,” one X user commented.

“Tiafoe absolutely loves losing to sh**ters,” a third fan chimed in.

Frances Tiafoe reflects on his performance against Jan-Lennard Struff

Tiafoe at the 2025 US Open (Image Source: Getty)

For Frances Tiafoe, the US Open has always brought with it some exciting action. However, on Friday, the American was unable to display his usual skill in his third-round encounter against Jan-Lennard Struff.

After the match, Tiafoe expressed his disappointment in his own game, telling media,

“I just thought grand slam was super quick today. Having to have rallies was very very tough. And I was late on a lot of balls. I was struggling to kind of be on offense and he was obviously playing well most of the time and the mark was kind of always on his racket. I had a little window there when he just gave me some gifts and I didn't take it. You know, I played really extremely passive today and I didn't really put any pressure on him at all.

With this US Open loss, Frances Tiafoe's 2025 Grand Slam season had come to a close. The American’s best result at a Major this year came at the French Open, where he reached the quarterfinals. He made a second round exit at the Australian Open as well as the Wimbledon Championships.