Frances Tiafoe, a native of Hyattsville and product of the Junior Tennis Champions Center, was eliminated in the first round of the Mubadala DC Open in Washington on Monday.
He lost 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 to Terence Atmane.
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This marks Tiafoe's earliest exit at the tournament since 2021.
Atmane earned his first career victory over Tiafoe and will face Alejandro Tabilo in the Round of 16.
Home Pressure and Disappointment
Tiafoe, the No. 6 seed and local favorite, acknowledged the extra pressure from playing in front of friends and family.
"You have a little more edge in this tournament, for sure," he said. "All my friends, family are coming to the event.
Wanting to put my name around the stadium."
Despite the support, Tiafoe admitted his performance fell short. "I was flat.
Just wasn't good enough," he said. "Very disappointing.
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Especially for the year that I've been having, super disappointing. This one hurts a lot."
Tiafoe entered the tournament with strong momentum, having reached at least the quarterfinals in four consecutive events and holding a 31-13 record for 2026.
He held serve perfectly in the first set but was broken late in the second and failed to break Atmane's serve throughout the match.
The final set was closely contested, with both players exchanging breaks early. At 4-4, Atmane broke Tiafoe's serve to love and then served out the match.
"I was just really ready to die on that game to win every single point," Atmane said.
He recalled a similar situation in Miami where he lost, saying, "I cannot do the same mistake twice."
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Tiafoe will continue in the doubles tournament, partnering with Nick Kyrgios for a Tuesday night match against JJ Tracy and Francisco Cabral.
