Frances Tiafoe, runner-up of the 2026 Cincinnati Open, celebrated moving on to the U.S. Open by dining at one of Cincinnati's most well-known restaurants.
A photo of Tiafoe with his team and Bawe Shinholster, director of guest relations and quality assurance at Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment, was shared to Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse Instagram account Aug. 25.
"Big thank you (Frances Tiafoe) for not only dining with us, but celebrating the journey in Cincinnati. We're grateful for your talent, team, and support! Now go win the U.S. Open," the restaurant posted to its Instagram account.
View this post on InstagramTiafoe and his opponent in the Cincinnati Open men's singles final, Arthur Fils, made history Aug. 23 as the first two Black players to meet in an ATP Masters 1000 final since the series began in 1990, according to The Athletic.
Fils, 22, of France, defeated his 28-year-old American opponent, Tiafoe, 6-3, 1-6, 6-0, for his first ATP Masters 1000 title and the "biggest title of his career," the sports website writes.
Tiafoe spoke on how impactful that moment was.
"Great representation for a bunch of kids looking up to us and want to be in our position, and that's what it's about," Tiafoe said in a press release. "And hopefully, we can continue to have more and more big finals like this, having people of color in it. I'm super pumped about it."
Tiafoe withdraws from U.S. Open mixed doubles, to play in singlesTiafoe withdrew from the U.S. Open mixed doubles event due to an injury, the tournament announced Aug. 24.
The tennis star has struggled with a wrist injury for the last several weeks, according to USA TODAY. On Aug. 6, Tiafoe retired from his third-round match at the Canadian Open in Montreal due to a right hand injury, which doctors later discovered was a cyst. He had surgery to remove the cyst a few days later and decided to play in Cincinnati against medical advice.
"They didn't actually want me to play here," Tiafoe said after winning his semifinal match in Cincinnati. "They want me to kind of get right and get ready for obviously New York. But obviously every athlete's stubborn."
For now, Tiafoe is still entered to play singles at the U.S. Open, where he reached the semifinals in 2022 and 2024. But he won't be among the stars playing mixed doubles, an event that takes place the week before singles competition starts.
Contributing: Danielle Lerner and Haadiza Ogwude.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Frances Tiafoe dines at Cincinnati steakhouse ahead of US Open play
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