With the 2026 Australian Open still over a month away, Sunday’s “Racquet at the Rock’’ exhibition at the Prudential Center offered Frances Tiafoe a welcome reset. Entering with a modest 26–23 record in 2025, he treated the pre-season stage as a fresh spark, swinging freely, putting his struggles behind him. And in a spirited showcase, the American opened his campaign on a powerful note as he beat Carlos Alcaraz.

It might be an exhibition match, but in the tennis world, this win over Alcaraz is the headline. For Carlos Alcaraz, these exhibition matches are a practice drill as he gears up for the 2026 tennis grind. But is this loss a setback? Temporarily, maybe. Frances Tiafoe beat Carlos Alcaraz in three sets. The contest went to a third-set tiebreak after both players split the first two sets. Tiafoe claimed the opener 6-3, while Carlos responded with a 6-3 win of his own in the second.

The final set brought all the drama, as the match went down to the wire. Tiafoe held his nerve and closed it out 10-7 in the tiebreak. Despite this exhibition win, the overall head-to-head still favors Alcaraz, who leads 2-1.

Tiafoe’s lone tour-level win over Alcaraz came in the R64 at Barcelona in 2021. Since then, the Spaniard beat him twice: first in the 2022 US Open semifinals and then again in the R32 of the London Masters in 2024.

This victory also follows Tiafoe’s strong showing at the Charlotte Invitational, where he faced Taylor Fritz. Tiafoe dropped the first set but fought back to take the second. He then delivered in the tiebreak to seal a 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 win over his compatriot and close friend.

Even though neither the win over Fritz nor the one against Alcaraz impacts his ranking, these results matter in other ways. Frances Tiafoe’s confidence is surely rising after two straight victories against top-ten opponents ahead of the 2026 season.

There may also be a reason behind this fresh momentum as Tiafoe recently gave his team a complete overhaul, a significant change that could shape his start to the new year.

Frances Tiafoe reveals the real reason behind preseason coaching split

Recently, Frances Tiafoe parted ways with David Witt and Jordi Arconada. He had added Arconada to his team ahead of the 2024 North American hard-court swing. With Witt, Tiafoe reached one of the best Grand Slam results of his career, making the US Open semifinals last year. But his 2025 season did not meet expectations, and he slipped to No. 30 in the rankings.

Before his match at the Charlotte Invitational, an exhibition event that also featured Venus Williams, the 27-year-old was asked what led to the decision to end both partnerships. Tiafoe did not hold back when explaining his mindset and what pushed him toward change.

“I mean, I got rid of more than just two guys. I just wanted a fresh start. We have been doing the same thing for a very long time. I’ll be 28 at the top of the year, and I kind of just want to do something different. I want to get a little bit uncomfortable and just see what happens. Why not? I don’t think there is anything bad that can come out of that. As far as what is going forward, I guess you guys will have to wait and see. Wait and see who I decide to bring with me and go on this crazy journey that we call life.”

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His words reflected a desire for renewal and a shift in direction. Tiafoe seemed ready to break old patterns and look for a spark that could push him into the next phase of his career.

So far, the early signs are encouraging. The American has produced strong performances in exhibitions leading up to the 2026 season. 

As the new season approaches, the question now is simple. Can Tiafoe turn this fresh start into a real breakthrough and challenge the best players in 2026?