US Open 2024: Australian Alexei Popyrin stuns win four-set win to send the Djoker packing at Flushing Meadows

Alexei Popyrin has pulled off one of the upsets of the US Open defeating reigning champion Novak Djokovic in a tough four-set battle to progress into a round of 16 match at Flushing Meadows. The Australian spoke in detail post-match about a career-best win.

A super-focused, unrelenting and unflappable Alexei Popyrin has put an abrupt stop to World No. 2 Novak Djokovic’s hopes of winning his 25th Grand Slam title in New York in the biggest upset of the US Open.

It was a tough battle but Popyrin reigned supreme dispatching Djovokic 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

The victory puts Popyrin through to the fourth round of a major tournament for the first time in his career.

“It’s unbelievable because I’ve been in the third round about 15 times in my career but I haven’t been able to get past to the fourth round so to do it against the greatest of all time is unbelievable,” Popyrin said.

“It’s a great feeling.”

While a remarkable win and a “great feeling” Popyrin said the victory didn’t match the high of winning his first title in Canada earlier this year.

“For me, winning Montreal was way bigger than today, just because it’s a title, and it’s a Masters 1000 title. That felt unbelievable,” he said.

“Today was something that I kind of thought I could do, you know? Winning a Masters 1000 was not something that, you know, kind of crossed my head.”

Djokovic has twice been the one to end Popyrin’s Grand Slam runs - first at the Australian Open and then again at Wimbledon.

“Third time lucky,” Popyrin said post match.

“We had some battles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, I had my chances at those matches and didn’t take them. This match was a little bit different, I was able to take my chances when I had them and play some good tennis.”

Alexei Popyrin defeated Novak Djokovic on Saturday. Picture: AFP

This match was a little bit different, I was able to take my chances when I had them and play some good tennis.”

The 37-year-old Serbian is the reigning champion and was tipped to follow his Olympic gold medal with another strong performance in New York.

But Popyrin had other ideas.

“My two experiences against him earlier this year in Australian Open and Wimbledon kind of gave me the confidence to go out there tonight and believe that I could win and actually do it and believe it,” Popyrin said.

The Australian was in the zone from the opening point.

While Djokovic was missing his trademark clinical finishing skills and made uncharacteristic unforced errors.

Post match Djokovic gave all credit to Popyrin declaring the Australian “deserved to win today”.

Novak Djokovic was full of praise for Alexei Popyrin. Picture: Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images

“On my end, honestly, the way I felt and the way I played from the beginning of this tournament, third round is a success,” Djokovic said.

“I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly, serving by far the worst ever. So, yeah, if you play on a quick surface like this without, you know, the serve, without ability to win free points there, very low first-serve percentage, many double faults, then you can’t win. You can’t win, especially against the guys who are in form like Alexei who is serving big, puts a lot of pressure on your service game. Yeah, it was just an awful match for me.

“I tried so many things, and sometimes that’s an issue, you know, is that you move away from the basics that work. Then you just lose the basics.

“You lose the foundation. You lose the movement, the timing, the rhythm, the tempo, everything, whether it’s a serve or any other shot.”

The Australian had the Serbian oozing frustration early in the opening set – first surrendering five break points before dropping his serve two games later – giving Popyrin the first set 6-4.

It was the first time this US Open Djokovic had lost a set and he clearly wasn’t happy with his performance.

Popyrin seemed to have cooled a little in the second set before he once again got the Serbian on the back foot stealing his second break point of the match and taking set 6-4.

Djokovic staged a comeback in the third set winning 6-2.

That was when a little bit of self doubt started to creep into the back of Popyrin’s mind.

“He wasn’t playing his best tennis. I was waiting for him to kind of step up. I felt like he did in the third set. But my level went down. I didn’t make too many first serves,” Popyrin said.

“There is countless times when he’s come back from two sets to love down, and I didn’t want to be one of those moments where Novak kind of stepped up and came back from two sets to love down.

How far can Alexei Popyrin go in the US Open? Picture: AFP

“That was going through my head. It was kind of extra motivation for me not to do that and to win that fourth set.

“Kind of had to pump myself up, swear at myself a few times to kind of, yeah, to kind of get back into the mood of winning. I managed to do that, and that was amazing.”

It certainly worked. Popyrin was unshakeable in the fourth set fighting off two break points in his first service game of the fourth set to hold.

It gave him renewed confidence – an impressive forehand winner past Djokovic, who didn’t even have a chance to react, had the 24,000 crowd on their feet.

Another close game forced Djokovic to fight off four break points before he succumbed to the unrelenting Popyrin to take the first break of the fourth set.

He certainly didn’t hold his serve the easy way – pulling out his fourth ace to save the break point, a wicked 154km forehand winner for the advantage and a fifth ace to take the game just before the match reached the three hour mark.

If the 25-year-old was feeling the pressure as stepped up to the base line to serve for the match he didn’t show it taking the final game 40-0 – an unforced error from Djokovic gifting him the win.

Popyrin will next face American Frances Tiafoe, for the first time in his career.

“He’s actually a really good friend of mine. We get along really well off the court. It will be interesting to play against him,” Popyrin said.

“We have practised a bunch of times. Yeah, he’s a very tricky player. Probably has one of the best hands on tour, comes into the net a lot, likes to mix it up. That’s going to be the tough part.”

While Popyrin is the first Australian through to the fourth round he could be joined by more on Sunday.

Alex de Minaur will play Dan Evans at 9am (AEST), Jordan Thompson will take on Matteo Arnaldi at 7am and Chris O’Connell will play No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner at 3.15am.

Originally published as US Open 2024: Australian Alexei Popyrin stuns win four-set win to send the Djoker packing at Flushing Meadows