Frances Tiafoe defeated Hubert Hurkacz in a five-set second-round match at the French Open on May 28, 2026, lasting four hours and 43 minutes in sweltering heat [1, 2, 3, 4]. The 19th seed won with a score of 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-4 in a match described as a marathon [1, 2, 3, 4].
Immediately after his victory, Tiafoe celebrated with fans on Court 14, where a fan cheekily snatched his racquet amid the excitement [1, 3, 4]. Tiafoe later said the fans were "locking me in" and he lost grip of the racquet when his arm got stuck. "I thought I was going to fall into the crowd at one point," he added, calling the moment fun but emphasizing, "I actually need that racquet" [2].
Tiafoe did not realise his racquet was missing until after the celebrations when he returned to the court. "I need to go shake Hubi's [Hurkacz's] hand and the ref's hand. And then I'm walking off the court and I was like ‘wait, hold on, I'm down a racquet.’ I never put that racquet back in," he said [2].
He made a plea on Instagram to recover the racquet, offering two tickets to his upcoming third-round match against Portugal's Jaime Faria in exchange for its safe return. "Unreal atmosphere on Court 14 today. But I must say to the fan who took my racket at the end when I was celebrating with y'all... can I please have it back? I'll bless you with two tickets for my next match," Tiafoe posted [1].
The racquet was returned to Tiafoe's coach shortly after the Instagram plea [2].
Tiafoe now faces Jaime Faria in the French Open third round. He is among American players aiming to end the US men’s Grand Slam title drought since Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open win [1, 2, 3, 4].
