- Frances Tiafoe has qualified for the last eight of the US Open for the third time
Frances Tiafoe is at home in New York.
He may be from Maryland, but his best performance at a Grand Slam came at the US Open. And the way the crowd reacts to him at Arthur Ashe is touching – perhaps even compared to other Americans.
That bond was on full display on Sunday night when the world number 20 defeated Novak Djokovic’s Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 in the fourth round.
It wasn’t always easy against the 1.95m Popyrin and his huge serve (he hit 20 aces in the match), but Tiafoe always seemed the more comfortable of the two during longer rallies and kept his cool during some of the most intense moments of the match.
One of the highlights of the evening was his second-set tiebreak victory, a run that demonstrated both his impressive composure and the crowd’s admiration for him.
The stadium was packed after a cross-court forehand to take a 3-0 lead. Tiafoe, never afraid to engage the crowd at decisive moments, capitalized on that energy and eventually gave himself an invincible two-set lead.
“I’ve always dreamed of playing on this field,” he said on the field afterward. “…You guys are incredible fans and that’s what makes it so much fun here.”
The 2022 US Open semifinalist struggled to bounce back early on as Popyrin hit six aces in his first three service games.
He too was behind 15-40 (2-1), but he avoided this early break chance for Popyrin and showed that he can serve well with two aces in the subsequent deuce.
And Popyrin, who just won the Canadian Open in Montreal last month, lost ground late in the first set when Tiafoe scored a crucial break in the ninth game before going on to clinch the set.
Initially it looked like Popyrin would win the second set.
He survived a break point in a marathon of five-deuces to make it 2-1. In the next game, he earned his first break of the match after Tiafoe had to chase down a deft drop shot, allowing his opponent to unleash an easy volley.
But Tiafoe, who at one point trailed 5-2 in the second set, had no intention of giving up and preparing for the third period.
Popyrin had a triple set point at 5-3, but could not close the door as Tiafoe continued to harass him on longer points.
He quickly double faulted, giving Tiafoe back a crucial break. There were no more problems with his serve for the rest of the set, ending in a tiebreak. Tiafoe took advantage of the momentum he had built up with his recent break.
The third set also started with an early break for Popyrin, who finished the set with a 3-1 lead.
The set felt a bit like a repeat of the previous one, where Tiafoe – and the crowd – had put so much energy into fighting back. ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie’ chants began to echo from the upper levels of the stadium.
Tiafoe saved three consecutive break points to reduce Popryin’s lead to 3-2, but his energy ran out and he made nine unforced errors, allowing the Australian to quickly get back into the match.
In the fourth set, Tiafoe was fully charged again. He came back from a 0-30 deficit to 1-1 and held his serve. After six games, he played a decisive break and took a 4-2 lead.
Popyrin was in a big hole at the time and his fate was confirmed shortly afterwards when Tiafoe served out the match after initially wasting a match point.
He – and his home crowd – will not go away from this tournament quietly.
