US Open: Popyrin’s shot at maiden grand slam quarter-final over at the hands of Tiafoe
America’s Frances Tiafoe has ended Alexei Popyrin’s chances at his first grand slam quarter final, with the Aussie conceding he ‘choked’ in a crucial game defining moment.
Alexei Popyrin is likely to have equal measures of pride and regret after failing to capitalise on a golden second-set opportunity in an eventual four-set loss to Frances Tiafoe at the US Open.
Bidding to make the quarter-finals of a grand slam for the first time in his career, Popyrin eventually lost 4-6 6-7 6-2 3-6 to 20th seed Tiafoe, who rode a wave of US support into the last eight.
Popyrin exits Flushing Meadows with the best grand slam performance of his career and the scalp of great Novak Djokovic in a showing that has pushed him into the world’s top 25.
But he will rue a nervous game when serving for the second set.
Up 5-3 and 40-0 with the set seemingly in his keeping, Popyrin folded, wasting three set points and then double faulting when Tiafoe held break point to give his opponent a two-set lead.
Even the American thought his chances were gone, conceding he had been thinking about getting a fresh change of clothes and knuckling down for a long battle, having given the second set away in his mind.
“He was serving 5-3, 40-0, I was pretty sweaty, I was going, ‘I’m going to go and get changed and win this thing in four’,” Tiafoe said in a courtside interview following his win.
“He gave me one (point), I was like, don’t let me get two - and then I was like don’t let me get three and then I was like, I might as well break now.”
Alexei Popyrin is back in it on Ashe!
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2024
He takes the 3rd set 6-2. pic.twitter.com/MTtcPzkI9N
Popyrin showed great resolve to get back into the match, breaking Tiafoe twice in the third set before taking it 6-2 when going back to his bread and butter game on the back of an improved first serve percentage.
But he dropped serve early in the fourth and conceded a double break early, with Tiafoe taking the match out 6-3 in the fourth despite Popyrin pushing him to break point in his final service game.
Popyrin has conceded he “choked” when serving for the second set in a moment that turned momentum in the match.
While he went on to win the third and send the match to four sets before Tiafoe was able to advance to the final eight, Popyrin had a golden chance to level at one set all but blew three set points and eventually double faulted to allow Tiafoe back into a set he eventually won in a tiebreak.
“Yeah, definitely a lost opportunity,” he said.
“I’ve been saying all week that I think against these top players you have to take your chances when you have them. Obviously 5-3, 40-love up serving, it’s a really big choke from my end.
“I think from then … a momentum swing is bound to happen to his side. I think I did a good job at 5-5 to hold my serve and take it to a tiebreak, but he had momentum in that tiebreak and that’s just the way it went.
“But, yeah, that 5-3 game was an opportunity lost, and I think if it was one set all, considering how the third set went and how I found a way to kind of neutralize his really good play, I think it could have been a little bit different.”
Overall though, Popyrin said he could not be too disappointed.
“If you would have told me at the start of the summer I would have been 23 in the world with a Masters title and second week of a slam for the first time, I probably would have taken it considering the position I was in,” he said.
“If I hadn’t won a match in Montreal or Cincy (Cincinnati Masters), I probably would have dropped to outside 90 in the world. So considering all that, I think it was a very successful summer.”
The American paid tribute to Popyrin, saying he had not thought his win over Djokovic was such a huge surprise given the level at which he was playing.
“Alexei has been playing unbelievable,” he said.
“He just won a Masters series. This was the third time playing (Djokovic) in a slam this year. Alexei has gotten sets off him. Novak just won Olympics.
“For me being a tennis guy it wasn’t the most surprising thing in the world. Obviously beating Novak is a huge win at any point, any time, no matter where, when.
“I kind of feel like Alexei had the level. He showed it tonight. It was a really, really high level.
“So I had to come up with great stuff.”
In by that much for Frances Tiafoe on match point! 📠pic.twitter.com/xx9XjUNekw
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2024
He also praised Popyrin’s effort to get back into the game after losing the second set.
“He did a great job in the third set,” Tiafoe said.
“He changed his tactics on me, and it really got me out of sorts.
“Ultimately, (I was) really happy with the way I played. He’s playing at a really high level as well. It was a really good match I thought.”
Backing up the victory over Djokovic was never going to be easy for the Aussie, who was cheered by thousands as a gritty underdog against the Serbian great but had the home crowd against him when facing American hope Tiafoe.
But following his recent Montral Masters title and the best grand slam effort of his career in New York, Popyrin has had a meteoric rise in 2024 and needs to find the consistency required of the top players if he is to become a grand slam threat.
Tiafoe will go on to face ninth seed Gregor Dimitrov in the quarters after the Bulgarian beat Andrey Rublev (6) in five sets in their round 4 clash.
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