American Frances Tiafoe upsets Rafael Nadal in 4th round of US Open
Tiafoe upsets Nadal in 4th round of US Open
Nov 23 (Reuters) – A daybefore the start of the US Open where his first match isagainst Roger Federer, American star Tiafoe saw off worldranked No. 4 Novak Djokovic in a thrilling fourth round on acourt at the USTANational Tennis CenterSunday.
The 19-year-old won 6-3, 6-7, 7-5 in just57 minutes on his way to becoming the only American ever toupend aworld No. 1 in the opening round of the US Open.
“I didn’t know it was going to be that kind of match at thebeginning, because there were so many big shots that you have tothink they can get, but I just kept going,” Tiafoe said.
“Once I started the match, I tried to go as far as I could andjust play the way I play.
“After the first set, I realised I could play the way I play andI just got in my rhythm.”
Tiafoe is hoping to continue his good form at theUS Open after hiswins over Nadal and Gilles Muller in the first two rounds ofthe tournament.
Tiafoe, who spent just one year at UCLA before turning pro,is aiming to become the first American to win a worldtitles since John McEnroe in 1986 and the first ever Americanto become a world No. 1 in singles since GeorgePapadakis in 1970.
Tiafoe’s victory over the world No. 4 was one of the best US Open matchesin history.
The 6-foot-5 (about 200 cm) American hit 17 aces and served out the match with adouble-fault in the second set, but Djokovic was still leftconvinced that Tiafoe was the world’s best player going intothe third set and played a less aggressive first set.
Tiafoe, however, turned things around in the third, winningthe set