"Frances Tiafoe couldn't have choked any harder"; "Not sure what he does after this" - Fans shocked as American falls to World No. 349 at Indian Wells

Tennis fans reacted to Frances Tiafoe losing to World No. 349 Yosuke Watanuki in the third round of the 2025 Indian Wells Masters. This marked the second encounter between Tiafoe and the Japanese. They first met two years before at the 2023 Miami Open, which the American won.

Tiafoe was seeded 16th at the ATP Masters 1000 hard court event in California. He kicked off his campaign in the second round following a first-round bye. He secured a hard-fought victory over qualifier Damir Dzumhur in his opening match, winning 7-6(4), 7-6(7).

However, Tiafoe's run at the tournament came to an end in the third round as he lost with a score of 4-6, 6-7(6) against qualifier Yosuke Watanuki, who unleashed an impressive 47 winners, including 16 aces during the match.

The unexpected loss of Tiafoe to Watanuki shocked many tennis fans, and this prompted them to express their thoughts on social media.

One fan expressed disbelief at Frances Tiafoe's performance, suggesting that they had never seen the American choke as badly as he did in the match against Yosuke Watanuki.

"Congrats Tiafoe, you couldn’t have choked that any harder even if you tried," a fan posted.

Comment byu/TigrisMellark from discussion intennis

Another fan questioned Tiafoe's next steps, particularly in light of his recent coaching change and the lack of desired results on the court.

"Not sure what Tiafoe does after this, he only recently got these new coaches and still not producing any results," a fan wrote.

"He’s been struggling since that US Open Tour run," a fan posted.

"Tiafoe really fired his old head coach to only lose to Watanuki who is coached by him 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 ," a fan wrote.

Here are some other fan reactions:

"This was Tiafoe’s chance…really hard time for him since the US Open," a fan posted.

"Tiafoe has felt like a constant disappointment for a few years now, but then I guess you could say that about every American male since Roddick. Tiafoe's the only one worth watching, and he kinda su*ks," a fan wrote.

"How da h*ll was @FTiafoe in the Top 10 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 ," a fan posted.

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After defeating Frances Tiafoe, Yosuke Watanuki will face Tallon Griekspoor at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters 4R

Yosuke Watanuki during his match against Frances Tiafoe at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters [Image Source: Getty Images]

After defeating Frances Tiafoe in the third round of the 2025 Indian Wells Masters, Yosuke Watanuki will take on Tallon Griekspoor in the fourth round.

Watanuki earned his spot in the main draw of the ATP Masters 1000 hard court event in California by defeating Mattia Bellucci 6-1, 6-2 in the first qualifying round, followed by a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Rudy Quan in the second qualifying round.

The Japanese's run in the main draw at Indian Wells began with a win against Alexander Bublik, with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round. He then overcame 19th seed Tomas Machac 4-6, 4-2 retd., and Frances Tiafoe in the second and third rounds, respectively, to advance to the fourth round, where he will face Griekspoor.

Meanwhile, Tallon Griekspoor secured his place in the fourth round by defeating Miomir Kecmanovic 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 and top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in the first and second rounds. He also defeated 29th seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6(3), 6-3 in the third round.

The fourth-round match between Yosuke Watanuki and Tallon Griekspoor at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters will mark the first time these two players meet on the ATP Tour.