Frances Tiafoe lauds "lil sis" Hailey Baptiste as 23-year-old reaches Miami Open 3R

Frances Tiafoe lauded the American tennis player Hailey Baptiste on her win at the second round of the Miami Open. The former is also gearing up to compete in the tournament.

Baptiste recently qualified for the third round at the Miami Open after besting Daria Kasatkina in the second round with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. She is now scheduled to compete in the next round on March 23 against Naomi Osaka.

The 23-year-old's victory against Kastakina caught the attention of Tiafoe, who reacted to it on his Instagram story. He shared a video of him watching the match on TV and cheering for Baptiste. Exuding pride in her, he said:

"Lil sis hit the big naaasssstyyy😂😂 Big dub proud of you @hailrybaptiste."

Tiafoe's Instagram story

Tiafoe was last seen competing at the India Wells, where he couldn't advance further than the second round. His campaign ended after he was bested by Yosuke Watanuki, 6-4, 7-6(8), who advanced to the third round of the tournament.

The American is now scheduled to compete at the Miami Open on March 22 against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. He started his 2025 season by competing at the Brisbane International, where he faced an early exit in the second round. The player faced the same fate at the Australian Open, Dallas Open, and Mexican Open.

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Frances Tiafoe made his feelings known about winning a majors title

American tennis player, Tiafoe- Source: Getty

Frances Tiafoe recently sat for an interview with The Palm Beach Post, where he spoke about his aim of winning a majors title. Several American women have nabbed the major titles, including Serena Williams and Venus Williams, Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin, and most recently Madison Keys at the Australian Open 2025.

However, in the American men's section, no player has won a majors title since Andy Roddick's US Open title in 2003. Tiafoe said that he has been thinking about grabbing a win for a while and revealed that he is waiting for the US Open, because this is where he plays his best. Reflecting on Keys' win, he said:

"I’ve been thinking about it for a while – every time the U.S. Open comes around, I’m thinking this is my year," Frances Tiafoe said. “That’s where I play my best tennis. Maddie‘s thing, I’ve wanted that for a very long time. Maddie’s victory doesn’t make me want it more than I already want it. Nothing I want to do more than to win a Slam. And to win the Open, if it comes, we’ll see the aftereffects."

Frances Tiafoe has won 3 ATP Tour singles titles in his career, including the 2018 Delray Beach Open, the 2023 Houston Clay Court Championships, and the 2023 Stuttgart Open.