(New York-Flushing Meadows) - World No. 28 Alexei Popyrin ends Novak Djokovic’s title defense at the US Open, setting a round of 16 blockbuster against home hope Frances Tiafoe, who avenged last year’s loss at the major to compatriot Ben Shelton, producing an electric five-set triumph.
Australian Alexei Popyrin is enjoying the run of his life at the 2024 US Open, having brought to an end Novak Djokovic’s title defense campaign on Friday night, recording the biggest win of his career to advance to the fourth round of a major for the first time.
“It’s unbelievable because I’ve been in the third round, about 15 times in my career, but I haven’t been able to get past to the fourth round,” the Sydney-born said after the contest.
Adding: “To be able to do it against the greatest of all time to get into the fourth round is unbelievable. It’s a great feeling, and the hard work has paid off.”
The 28th seed delivered his best tennis to take down the former world number one 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 after three hours and 19 minutes in Arthur Ashe Stadium, firing 50 winners.
Both opening sets saw the 25-year-old charging at the net with precision while capitalizing on his big serve to give the 24-time Grand Slam champion a lone option to overcome him, to come back from two sets to love and finish in five.
And it seemed Djokovic was on his way to it when he grabbed the third set, converting all three break point opportunities he had to narrow the gap two sets to one, keeping his chances alive despite continuing to commit too many unforced errors as to build a solid comeback attempt.
Popyrin, who in the build-up to the US Open captured his maiden Masters 1000 title in Montreal, outlasting Andrey Rublev in the final, held his ground, breaking twice to open a 5-2 advantage.
Then, he served for the match and failed, broken by the Serbian, who, in his post-match press conference, remarked: “He played better and deserved to win today.”
“On my end, I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, serving by far the worst ever. It was just an awful match for me.”
Djokovic committed 14 double faults, finishing with 49 unforced errors, unlikely numbers for the second seed.
Meanwhile, Popyrin won 74 percent of points on his first serve, converting 5 of 12 break-point opportunities throughout the encounter.
The Aussie wrapped up proceedings with an ace and now focuses on a blockbuster fourth-rounder against Tiafoe.
“[Frances is] a really good friend of mine. We get along really well off the court,” he asserted when asked by the press about his next adversary.
“It will be interesting to play against him. We have practiced a bunch of times. He’s a very tricky player, one of the best hands on tour, comes into the net a lot, and likes to mix it up. That’s going to be the tough part.”
Earlier in the day, the world’s largest tennis stage, Ashe, was packed, ready to welcome stars Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, clashing for the second year in a row at the slam.
The five-set contest, one of the best matches of the tournament, saw an electrifying all-American duel in which Tiafoe rallied 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 to defeat the 13th seed in four hours, punching his ticket to the fourth round.
As a result, the 2024 edition of the US Open is the first since 1973in which two of the three top men’s seeds have failed to reach the fourth round at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Epic stories were written on Friday by some of the best tennis players in the world with passion, brilliance, and incredible determination because in this iconic scenario, as Billie Jean King well said, ‘Pressure is a privilege,’ a privilege of the brave who dare, fear and take on the challenge of raising at the highest level of the sport to leave their own mark.
“This is my house,” Tiafoe roared as he clinched the win, celebrating, showing how much it meant to him.
The former world No. 10, who has found his way back to winning ways, partnering with his new coach David Witt, assessed his performance, outlining: “I’ve been working on myself so much. I have a mental guy, a process guy, and I’ve been working on myself, trying to look at the glass differently.
“I just want to, [whether I] win or lose matches, knowing the guy beat me. I didn’t beat myself. No free lunches. I’m not trying to help my opponent get over the line.”
The three-time titlist takes to the net often, a tool of his repertoire he has put to good use, adding to his powerful serve, wise on his return game, a lethal combination he has been displaying with great accuracy.
On Sunday, Popyrin and Tiafoe will play one another for the first time at the tour level.
Djokovic Farewell to New York
For his part, the 37-year-old, one of the greatest athletes of all time, says farewell to the Big Apple after a challenging path to achieve a lifetime feat, which he conquered at the Paris Olympics, becoming a gold medalist.
“I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive in New York not feeling fresh. I tried my best; I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas, and you could see that,” the Belgrade native stressed in his press conference. “From the first match, I just didn’t find myself on this court.”
“Life moves on. I’ll try to recalibrate and look forward to what is next.”
