Tennis star Frances Tiafoe used his glory to cheer on “Scandal” star and later “Law & Order” star Tony Goldwyn after reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open.
“Wait. Excuse me, excuse me. Tony Goldwyn was in the crowd,” Tiafoe said in an on-court interview after his match on Sept. 1. Tiafoe defeated Australian Alexei Popyrin in four sets to advance to the quarterfinals on Sept. 3.
“Yo, I’m a huge fan of yours, bro. My girlfriend and I used to watch ‘Scandal’ all the time. I’m a huge fan, bro. I’m a huge fan, bro. I have to say that,” added Tiafoe. He has been dating fellow tennis star Ayan Broomfield for nearly nine years.
The camera then showed Goldwyn in the crowd cheering on Tiafoe.
“This is a @tonygoldwyn stan account,” the US Open captioned the clip on social media.
Goldwyn played the role of President Fitzgerald Grant on ABC’s “Scandal” from 2012 to 2018 and has been a fan favorite ever since. Some of his former colleagues from the show and network were also in attendance for Tiafoe’s match. Show creator Shonda Rhimes and her co-stars Scott Foley and Bellamy Young were in the house, as were “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo and her husband Chris Ivery. The group sat together for the match.
Tiafoe has become a name to watch in tennis over the years.
He reached the semifinals of the 2022 US Open, becoming the first American since Andy Roddick in 2006 to reach that stage of the tournament and the first African American since Arthur Ashe in 1972 to reach the final in the same year.
Tiafoe also reached the quarterfinals at the 2023 US Open.
Tiafoe is now in the quarterfinals of the tournament for the third year in a row and is the favorite to win. During a post-match press conference on September 1, a reporter asked him if he was a favorite.
“I appreciate the compliment that you consider me one of the favorites,” Tiafoe said, giggling.
“I don’t really look like a favorite or anything. I literally live day to day,” he later added.
