Tiafoe wins French Open second round, racket returned

American tennis star Frances Tiafoe secured a dramatic second-round victory at the French Open on Thursday, only to have his winning racket disappear during a celebratory embrace with fans. The 19th-seeded player later recovered the equipment after a public appeal on social media.

Tiafoe defeated Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in a grueling five-set match that lasted four hours and 43 minutes, the longest win of his career. The final score was 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-4 on Court 14 at Roland Garros. After sealing the match with a forehand winner, an elated Tiafoe jumped into the crowd to celebrate with supporters.

It was during that group hug that a fan took the racket directly from his hand. Tiafoe did not realize it was missing until later, when he noticed he was one racket short while packing his bag. On the advice of his agent, he posted a message on his Instagram Story.

"Unreal atmosphere on Court 14 today," Tiafoe wrote. "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."

The appeal worked quickly. Roughly an hour later, a member of Tiafoe's coaching team,...