"Big Foe reaching the form he has is one of the best things that’s happened in men’s tennis this year" - Tennis fans react to Frances Tiafoe surviving scare against Kwon Soon-woo to reach Tokyo final

Frances Tiafoe sealed his place in the final of the 2022 Japan Open by beating a resilient Kwon Soon-woo 6-2, 0-6, 4-6 on Saturday. The semifinal encounter lasted only 97 minutes but it was quite the thriller, and Tiafoe will be relieved to come out on top.

The American dominated the opening set and won it in only 28 minutes before the South Korean cruised through the second and bageled him in just 23 minutes. Tiafoe, however, managed to regroup and won the final set 6-4 to win the match and seal his spot in the final. This is his second ATP 500 final and the fifth of his singles career.

Several fans took to Twitter to react to Frances Tiafoe's victory, with one stating that the American reaching form was one of the best things that happened to men's tennis in 2022.

"Big Foe reaching the form he has is one of the best things that’s happened in men’s Tennis this year," the tweet read.

Another user, meanwhile, hoped Tiafoe would win the Japan Open and clinch the second singles title of his career.

"Nice. 2nd career title comes tomorrow hopefully," the tweet read.

One fan went on to state that a player as talented as Tiafoe finding himself at the tail-end of tournaments was a good thing.

"Frances Tiafoe being a frequent factor at the sharp end of tournaments is a good, good thing.

Here are some other reactions:

"It was a weird match, but I'm happy to get through"- Frances Tiafoe

Frances Tiafoe in action at the Laver Ciup

Speaking to reporters after the clash, Tiafoe called the match "weird" and said he was happy to come away with the win, as ugly as it was.

"It was a weird match, but I'm happy to get through. It's not always going to be pretty, it's not always going to be the best stuff, but a win is what matters," the American was quoted as saying by the ATP's official website.

"A little bit of a loose game, I got broken [early] in that second set, but he started definitely picking up his level. Then after that he was playing really well. I let the set go a little bit as well, but he was playing really well," he added.

Tiafoe will next face Taylor Fritz in the final of the Japan Open. The latter reached his third final of the season by defeating Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 in the semifinals. He thus entered the Top-10 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career.

Fritz and Tiafoe will lock horns for the sixth time, with the former leading 4-1 head-to-head.