Matching Report
Tiafoe ousts Djokovic winner Popyrin to reach US Open QFs
The American faces Dimitrov next
September 02, 2024
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Frances Tiafoe defeated Alexei Popyrin on Sunday evening at Arthur Ashe Stadium to advance to the quarterfinals of the US Open.
By ATP staff
Frances Tiafoe stepping up to the US Open has become an annual tradition. The final milestone of the 2024 season does not appear to be any different.
The 20th seed advanced to the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows for the third consecutive year on Sunday evening when he defeated 28th seed Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 in three and two hours. minutes. The home favorite will play ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the last eight.
“I always dreamed of playing in this stadium [since I was] a child. I used to hit the wall and I wanted to compete on this court,” said Tiafoe in his court interview. “Seeing the Williams sisters win titles here, seeing Roger win here a million times, I was like ‘I just want to play on this court’. It’s an iconic building, obviously named after Arthur Ashe, so I wanted to be a part of that. I think it brings out the best in me. ”
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Tiafoe arrived in Cincinnati with a 19-18 road record this season. Since then he has won nine of 10 matches, including a run to his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Ohio and now his fourth major final.
The game was much closer than the score line. Popyrin, who stunned 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the third round, led the second set 5-2 and won three points at 5-3, 40/0 before serving a second break in the next game. He hit eight double faults in the game.
“He was serving 5-3, 40/0. I was like, ‘Well, I’m sweating, I’m sweating in my shoes. I’m going to change and try to win this thing in four’,” Tiafoe said. “I won a point, I won another point. I was like, ‘Ooh’. He gave me one. I was like, ‘Don’t let me get two’. Then I said, ‘Don’t let me get three’. And I was like, ‘I might break now’.
The Australian, who fought for his first Masters 1000 title in Montreal, fought back in the third set to keep the match alive. But Tiafoe played clean tennis throughout – committing just 17 unforced errors – to reduce his opponent’s margin of error.
Tiafoe likes to stand out and once again used the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd to help overcome a challenging opponent, whom he had never faced in a match. At the start of the second set break, the 2022 semifinalist hit a quick forehand shot and pointed at the fans as a showman.
Popyrin, who was entering the fourth round of a major for the first time, was double-faulted to lose in the fourth set. He had a good look at the passing shot from inside the court to start work as Tiafoe prepared for the game, but it missed the net.
Tiafoe’s next opponent, Dimitov, knocked out sixth seed Andrey Rublev earlier in the day. The Bulgarian leads Tiafoe 3-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but has played once since 2019.
“Obviously he’s very talented. He’s been one of the most talented players for a very long time,” Tiafoe said. “He’s playing really well in the later stages of his career and he’s starting to find good form again. So it’s going to be really tough. He can hit every shot. I’m going to make him fight for it and win it. And I’m sure he’s there, and I hope you’re there with me.”
