24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic suffered another shocking defeat at the US Open in New York on Friday night, following a loss to Carlos Alcaraz, as he was defeated by Australian 28th seed Alexei Popyrin.
Less than 24 hours after third seed and 2022 champion Alcaraz was knocked out of the tournament by Dutchman Botic van der Zandtschulp, Djokovic was crushed 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 by 25-year-old Popyrin.
Djokovic, who is aiming for a 25th major title, is playing in his first tournament since winning gold at the Paris Olympics.
But the Australian, who won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal earlier this month, played fearless tennis on Arthur Ashe Stadium to claim the biggest win of his career, beating the 37-year-old Djokovic.
'3rd round success'
Djokovic said after his loss that he played the worst tennis of his life at the US Open.
“Congratulations to him and his team,” said the Serb. “He played better and deserved to win. Honestly, the way I felt and played from the beginning of the tournament… Round 3 is a success!
“I played the worst tennis I've ever played. I had the worst serve ever. On a fast surface like this, you can't win without serving. You can't win against a player like Alexei who's in great form. It was just a terrible match for me.”
Djokovic, who had to work hard to win Olympic gold against Alcaraz earlier this month, missed five break point opportunities in the first set, while Popyrin won serve on the first opportunity to go ahead 5-4 and win the first set.
Popyrin broke again after Djokovic's forehand volley fell wide to make it 3-2, and he soon took control of the match with a perfectly executed serve and volley to win the second set.
Second seed Djokovic returned to form in the third game.
But Popyrin let out a loud roar as he hit a powerful forehand winner on the fourth hole to take a 3-2 lead, and the comeback was short-lived.
He completed the upset when Djokovic's forehand flew wide on match point.
The last time Djokovic went without a Grand Slam title in a season was in 2017, and his defeat at Flushing Meadows was his first since 2006.
“I think it was third time lucky (this year),” Popyrin said. “To be honest, I had a few matches at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. I had my chances in those matches but I missed them. This match was a little different. I took my chances when I had them and played good tennis.
“I can't believe it. I've been to the third round about 15 times in my career, but I've never made it to the fourth round.
“It's unbelievable to be able to advance to the fourth round against the greatest player of all time. It feels great and the hard work has paid off.”
Not since 2002 has a season gone by without one of the 'Big Three' (Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal) winning a major.
Francis Tiafoe The No. 20 seed won an exciting All-American matchup against Ben Shelton, twice coming from behind to win in five sets.
Both players have reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows before, with Shelton beating Tiafoe in the quarterfinals last year.
But this time Tiafoe got his revenge on the 21-year-old, defeating the 13th seed 4-6 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3 in a match that lasted more than four hours.
Shelton, who had a 2-0 record going into the tournament, surrendered 23 aces and 63 winners cards during the tournament, but it wasn't enough as Tiafoe secured his fourth-round match against Popyrin.
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Highlights of Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton's epic match
Tiafoe: I hope you enjoyed the show.
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Shelton hit the fastest serve of the tournament, clocking it at 143 mph at set point.
Frances Tiafoe is speaking. Sky Sports Courtside:
“Ben is an amazing player. He really is. He tries all kinds of shots, he doesn't have a care in the world, it's really annoying. He has a great serve and great energy here.
“He's really talented and he hits a good shot. I can do that too. We both move really well and the highlights are the highlights.
“I hope you enjoy the four-hour show.”
Henman: Tiafoe deserves to win without blinking an eye
Sky Sports' Tim Henman:
“Tiafoe deserves the biggest credit in the world. When he lost the third-set tiebreak, you wondered if his chances were over. But he kept his focus, kept his quality, and got back to level.
“When he broke serve in the fifth set, he didn't blink. He deserves to be through to the fourth round.”
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Shelton and Tiafoe put on a show in a dramatic rally that ended just as the latter reached the net.
What else happened at the US Open?
Bulgaria 9th seed Grigor Dimitrov A comfortable 6-3 6-3 6-1 win over Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor set up a fourth-round clash with Russia. Andrey Rublev.
US 12th seed Taylor Fritz He comfortably defeated Argentina's Francisco Comesana with a score of 6-3 6-4 6-2 to advance to the fourth round. Casper Rudd.
that The former finalist and eighth seed fought back from two sets down to beat Shang Junqing 6-7 (1-7) 3-6 6-0 6-3 6-1.
Brandon Nakashima came from 0-4 down in the fourth set to shock the Italian 18th seed Tim with a 6-2 3-6 6-3 7-6(7-4) win. Lorenzo Musetti And for the first time, I made it to the 4th round.
What matches will be on Sky Sports Tennis in September?
- Jasmine Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (September 9-15)
- Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (September 9-15)
- Korea Open – WTA 500 (September 16-22 – Emma Raducanu in action)
- Thailand Open – WTA 250 (September 16-22)
- Chengdu Open, China – ATP 250 (September 18-24)
- Hangzhou Open, China – ATP 250 (18-24 September)
- China Open – WTA 1000 (September 25 – October 6)
- Japan Open – ATP 500 (September 25 – October 1)
- China Open – ATP 500 (September 26 – October 2)
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Find out all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA Tour.
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