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Frances Tiafoe of the United States delivered a career-best performance to knock Rafael Nadal out of the US Open in the fourth round on Monday.
Tiafoe, who had previously only reached one major championship quarter-final, shattered Nadal’s hopes of adding to his record collection of 22 Grand Slam singles titles with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory.
A sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium erupted in delight as the 24-year-old 22nd seed blasted Nadal with 18 aces and 49 winners to win in 3hr 34min.
Tiafoe will face Russian ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
Tiafoe, the son of Sierra Leoneans who began playing tennis as a four-year-old while his father worked as a live-in caretaker at a tennis facility in Maryland, had never advanced beyond the fourth round of the US Open in seven previous appearances.
But in the last few years, I’ve been able to focus and grow.”
Nadal praised Tiafoe’s performance and admitted he struggled with the American’s tactic of moving him around the court.
– ‘I had a bad match.’ –
I played poorly, and he played well. It’s all over now, isn’t it? Asking, Nadal
“Tennis is often a positional game, isn’t it? Unless you’re incredibly young and quick, that is. That’s something I’ve moved on from.” His age was given as 36.
Tiafoe had never beaten Nadal in two previous matches.
However, he established the tone for a remarkable performance early in Monday’s encounter, seizing the first with a serve break to lead 4-3 in the opening game before winning the set.
Nadal levelled the match in the second set when Tiafoe nervously double-faulted on set point.
But the American came back strongly in the third set, sending Nadal scurrying across the baseline with pinpoint groundstrokes into the corners.
He broke for a 4-3 lead again and then held for a 5-3 victory. Tiafoe served for the set and clinched a 2-1 lead with an ace after a masterful running forehand winner down the line had brought him to match point.
The turning point came soon after Nadal had swept into a 3-1 lead, roaring with delight after breaking Tiafoe and seemingly poised to force a fifth set.
Tiafoe, on the other hand, came back to cut the deficit to 3-2, cleverly moving Nadal out of position before hammering a forehand into the corner.
However, Nadal almost immediately responded in the next game, earning two break points at 15-40.
But Tiafoe triumphantly answered with four straight points, holding with an ace to tie the set at 3-3.
Following that, Tiafoe’s momentum proved unstoppable, and he broke again for a 4-3 lead, held service after launching his 18th ace of the match for 5-3, and then scored another break to secure victory.
