WATCH: Frances Tiafoe's unexpected act worries chair umpire as he fakes forgetting his rackets a day after fiasco

Frances Tiafoe was at his cheeky best before his third-round match at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open began. The 16th seed acted up, faking as if he forgot to bring his rackets on the court.

During Tiafoe's second-round match against Damir Dzumhur, the American forgot to bring his rackets to the court. He walked to the court and realized it when he opened his bag to take out his rackets. A member of his team rushed inside the lockers to bring the required gear to the player.

When Tiafoe walked out on the court for his third-round match against Yosuke Watanuki, a similar scene transpired. While opening his bag, the American seemed to look at the crowd quizzically, giving the impression he had forgotten his rackets once more. However, when the chair umpire came to enquire, the American player broke into smiles and revealed that he had not repeated his mistake.

However, the match did not end on a similar light-hearted note for Tiafoe as it had started. He lost to the Japanese qualifier, going down 4-6, 6-7(6) in his third-round match. He had the opportunity to come back in the match, as he had the opportunity to serve out the second set twice, even squandering a set point.

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Frances Tiafoe's poor form in 2025 continues after Indian Wells exit

In Picture: Frances Tiafoe (Getty)

With his third-round loss at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open, Frances Tiafoe has yet to win more than a single match in a tournament. The American had lost his second match previously at the Brisbane International, the Australian Open, the Dallas Open, and the Mexican Open.

However, Tiafoe is known to perform well on his home turf. His record at the US Open over the last few years is proof of that. However, the American looked far from his best during his match against Watanuki. His serve was not working, as he could only win 56 percent of his total service points and made as many as 24 unforced errors.

Meanwhile, Watanuki played an aggressive brand of tennis, hitting 47 winners in two sets. Tiafoe could only convert two of the six break-point opportunities he received and gave 12 break-point opportunities to his opponent. The American had two set points in the second set but could not capitalize.

Tiafoe had a poor record at Indian Wells coming into this edition. The former World No. 10 had a mere 9-8 record at the Californian desert before this year, with a semifinal run in 2023 being his best performance.