“Remember my little sis name she finna be a problem,” American ATP star Frances Tiafoe wrote nearly six years ago, for his ‘Lil Sis‘, showering praises on a 23-year-old WTA talent. Guess what? She’s currently going through a dream run at the French Open alongside ‘brother’ Tiafoe. On Sunday, the World No.16 became the first American man to enter the quarterfinal in Paris without dropping a set, since Andre Agassi in 1995. It seems his ‘Lil Sis’ has also followed in his footsteps, while earning her best run at the Roland Garros. We are talking about rising talent Hailey Baptiste who’s been making waves owing to an incredible campaign in the last one week.

Baptiste’s entered the fourth round of the French Open this season. But it appears the success has conveniently overshadowed the struggles she’s gone through before turning into a promising tennis player. Not to mention her brother-from-another-mother Frances Tiafoe, who’s been by her side for a long time now. He’s closely witnessed her ups and downs while also assisting her in the biggest way possible. While she’s proven her mettle on the Parisian clay in recent days, there’s a key reason behind her newfound confidence on the court. It’s her coach. But who?

If you have been following Baptiste closely, you must have figured out by now that she’s being trained by none other than Frances’ twin brother. Yes, the D.C. native’s got Franklin Tiafoe by her side, who joins Eric Hechtman on her coaching team. But guess what? It wasn’t the case till the end of last season when she cracked into the WTA top 100.

In an interaction with Bounces, dated May 31, Baptiste opened up on the difficulties of being a tennis player. Especially when it comes to participating across events without a guiding light. “Lose a match, didn’t really have anyone to talk to afterwards…had to do the whole debrief process by myself. You just learn things about yourself and about the game.”  She added, “It’s really tough being at a tournament and you don’t have anybody on the sideline to pump you up and give you motivation.”

She was lacking a confidence boost during moments when “you’re down in a match or you’re having a close battle, it can make a big difference.” But now, with Tiafoe’s presence in her camp, it looks like her tides on the court are shifting. But how did they cross paths initially? The collaboration came into existence when Baptiste was preparing for her 2025 season. Before going to Australia, she began talking to a friend named Franklin – Baptiste, Frances, and Franklin spent a lot of time at the Junior Tennis Champions Center growing up.

“He’s kind of always been somebody who’s helped me since I was a young kid,” Baptiste said. “He’s always kind of been there and a part of my game, so that was easy.” The 27-year-old eventually joined her as an official coach during the off-season. Similar to Franklin, Baptiste’s bond with Frances is also well-known. They always extend support to each other like family.

Hailey Baptiste’s connection with Frances Tiafoe explored

While they may not be related by blood, Hailey Baptiste and Frances Tiafoe share an inseparable connection. Since childhood, they have known each other while growing up in Washington D.C. For example earlier this year, Baptiste helped Team USA to qualify for the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup’s main draw. Guess who was cheering on her accomplishment? None other than Tiafoe.

Witnessing his Lil Sis‘s success, Tiafoe couldn’t resist from sharing his happiness. On Instagram, he shared a clip in which Baptiste was seen hitting a phenomenal stroke. Seeing this, the ATP pro wrote, “Wonder where you learned this from 🤷🏿‍♂️🤷🏿‍♂️👀👀 good work @haileybaptiste.”

Even Baptiste has expressed her immense support for her brother-from-another-mother. She also gave a shoutout to his twin brother Franklin – now her coach. Acknowledging their impact and role in her life while growing up, she revealed to Roland Garros, “After school he would hit with me for an hour, two hours; we’d just hit and talk, so we developed a real closeness and on the weekend we hung out pretty much every weekend; me, Frances and Franklin would go to the movies, bowling, whatever.”

She added, “They’ve been my brothers for as long as I can remember. So I always look to them for advice. A buddy, a friend, hang out, bored, do whatever—they were always my first call.” Emphasizing Frances, she said, “The success he’s had is just amazing.” After earning a spot in top 10, Tiafoe has managed to enter the semis at the US Open twice in last three years. And currently, he’s made his way to the last eight of the French Open for the first time in his career.

Baptiste will surely try to replicate her friend’s milestone. In her fourth round encounter, the 23-year-old is going against compatriot and this year’s Australian Open champion Madison Keys. Do you think Baptiste will make it to the quarterfinal? Let us know in the comments below.