Remember when Frances Tiafoe proudly called Hailey Baptiste his “little sis” and showed his love for the rising WTA star? “Remember my little sis name she finna be a problem 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿,” Tiafoe wrote on X back in 2019. Their bond runs deep, rooted in childhood memories and shared dreams at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in Washington, D.C. Now, years later, Baptiste is making waves at Roland Garros, eyeing a spot in the quarterfinals. However, Madison Keys stands in her way. And of course, Big Foe had one final wish for her, cheering her on as she chases Grand Slam glory. 

Just yesterday, Frances Tiafoe cruised into the French Open QF with a straight-sets victory over Daniel Altmaier, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6. What’s even more impressive is that he reached the stage without dropping a single set to join Tommy Paul in making up the 1st pair of American men to reach the French Open’s last 8 since Jim Courier and Pete Sampras in 1996.

Yet, amid his triumph, Tiafoe shifted the spotlight to the success of Hailey Baptiste, who gears up for a thrilling 4th-round clash today at Roland Garros.

Speaking at his post-match press conference yesterday, Frances Tiafoe opened up about the upcoming all-American showdown between Hailey Baptiste and Madison Keys. With deep ties to both players, Big Foe admitted it’s a tough spot to be in. “It’s tough obviously you know. Let’s talk so much about it because obviously I’m super close with Haley and Madison as well. The best woman win there, but yeah, obviously, you know, I’m leaning a little bit. No secret there, but I think it’s going to be tough. I mean Maddie’s incredible man. She’s won a slam this year. She’s so confident you’ve seen you know her rope in the backhand winter down match points shows how much confidence she’s got right now,” he said. Tiafoe also noted that this will be a new kind of stage for Baptiste.

“So they’re playing on Lenglen. It’s going to be incredible. Hopefully, she rises to the occasion if she’s never played on a court that big. Let’s see if the lights are too bright or let’s see if she’s made for it, you know, those are kind of the moments. Yeah, we’ll see,” he added, eager to see how she handles the pressure of the big match.

Even after his 3rd-round win at Roland Garros, Tiafoe took time to appreciate the journey of Baptiste and her mentor, Franklin Tiafoe, Frances’ twin brother, who has played a vital role in her rise. “I just love seeing that guy happy, you know. He’s twin brother. It’s amazing you know the kind of things he’s been through, and to be able to do something that actually means a lot to him. It’s not just bigger than that, you know.”

Frances didn’t hold back his pride in Baptiste’s development on the tour as well. “It’s incredible to see what she’s doing, incredible to see what you know Hailey believing in it, winning matches and having Franklin there, and then me being a part there at times and you know her asking for advice,” he said.

And while cheering on Baptiste and enjoying the spotlight at Roland Garros, Tiafoe is also embracing a bit of healthy banter, reminiscing about another WTA star he’s been teasing, as he marches on towards clay court glory.

Frances Tiafoe keeps Gauff’s racket blunder buzzing at Roland Garros

So the drama unfolded just before Coco Gauff’s 1st-round match at the French Open when she realized she had forgotten her racket. As she was about to go up against Olivia Gadecki, Gauff was seen rummaging through her bag before realizing she hadn’t packed her rackets. A couple of shrugs and a grin later, she lifted up her bag to show her team that the rackets were not where they were supposed to be. She even managed to share a laugh with her opponent before her team sent a few rackets through a ball kid. 

Fast forward to the ATP side, and Frances Tiafoe, deep into his French Open run, couldn’t resist teasing his fellow American teammate. Speaking after his 4th-round win over Daniel Altmaier, Tiafoe said, “Incredible, absolutely loved it. It was the first day I saw her today, and I absolutely rinsed her because she was clowning so hard at any. Well, I was like, man, I can’t believe you doing that.”

He also described how even Gauff’s sponsor couldn’t save her from the embarrassment on court. “She was, I mean she was full out shaking her whole bag like it was like an empty cookie jar like on shockete, I’m like ‘what are you doing?’ like like, you know, and the only person there was her New Balance D. She looking at him like. He’s like ‘You got New Balance on, so what’s up?’ It was incredible, man. I’m going to keep ripping her for a long time.”

Next up, Big Foe will face 8th-ranked Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated Holger Rune in 4 sets. With confidence high and momentum on his side, can Tiafoe continue his French Open run by beating the Italian and reaching the SF?