Beal cheers on Maryland native Tiafoe at U.S. Open upset originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Bradley Beal was at the U.S. Open on Wednesday to cheer on a Maryland native.
Frances Tiafoe, who was born in Hyattsville, Md., defeated Russia's Andrey Rublev in three straight sets: 6-7, 6-7, 4-6.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
From the crowd, Beal was intensely cheering on Tiafoe throughout the match.
Not to mention, Beal was also there on Monday when Tiafoe beat Rafael Nadal in a fourth round upset.
Tiafoe showed similar excitement after his victory with a cool shoutout to the Wizards' All-Star guard.
"My favorite basketball player in the NBA Bradley Beal got to watch this," Tiafoe said. "... His first tennis match, that was super cool, talking to him after. Yeah, he wants to come again. It was cool. Special day for me."
After the match, Beal was quick to show love on Twitter.
After his match Wednesday, Tiafoe was asked about his wristband that reads, "Believe. Why not me."
"Lakers' assistant coach Phil Handy, he has this thing called Deuce brand. He gave me some bracelets. Anything just to give you a little inspiration. Look at that: Yeah, why not me? You put the time in, so why not me?" said the U.S. Open semifinalist during a press conference.
"Believe in yourself, it's so big. You have to believe in yourself before anybody else does."
Tiafoe's U.S. Open journey will continue in the semifinals against the winner of Jannik-Alcaraz (tonight), which will take place on Friday, Sept. 9 after the women’s semifinal match set for 7 p.m.
