Fresh off his exciting win over Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe returns to US Open action on Sunday, keen to beat Novak Djokovic's conqueror Alexei Popyrin.
The American has advanced to the last eight in consecutive years and seeks a third at the expense of his opponent buoyed up by defeating the sport's greatest player under the lights on Arthur Ashe.
Match preview
© Imago
A thrilling tussle between Tiafoe and Shelton was anticipated, and both players delivered a wildly exhilarating third-round match on Friday.
Despite a 0-2 record against the promising young player, Big Foe was predicted to win in five sets and snap his losing streak against his American rival.
Keen to build on that 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3 triumph, the 26-year-old aims to secure another victory on Sunday to take him into the last eight for the third consecutive year at Flushing Meadows, following a semi-final run two years back and quarters in 2023.
A fourth-round match with Djokovic was anticipated, only for Popyrin to throw a spanner in the works by eliminating the 24-time Slam champion in four sets, thus opening up that side of the draw.
Tiafoe has typically exited the Majors in rounds one to three, with a 2019 last-eight showing, a semi-final appearance in New York in 2022, and last year's quarter-final run being exceptions for the American.
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Standing in the path of the Washington Open semi-finalist and Cincinnati Masters runner-up is Popyrin, who seeks to ride the wave of ousting defending champion Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Although the Australian was 0-3 against the Serbian superstar, he played on the front foot for most of his fourth meeting with the 24-time Grand Slam winner, taking advantage of the 37-year-old's 14 double faults to inflict the icon's earliest loss at a major since a second-round exit at the 2017 Australian Open at the hands of Denis Istomin and quickest in New York since a round-three elimination by Lleyton Hewitt in 2006.
It continues the Australian's outstanding summer in which he notched success at the Masters 1000 event in Toronto, where he beat five top-20 players on the ATP Tour to clinch an unexpected title.
Popyrin has carried that form into the US Open and now seeks to sustain those impressive levels against home favourite Tiafoe on Sunday.
After finally breaking his third-round ceiling by advancing to round four, the World No. 28 aims for another upset against an in-form, confident opponent.
Tournament so far
Frances Tiafoe:
First round: vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4 6-3 4-6 7-5
Second round: vs. Alexander Shevchenko 6-4 6-1 1-0 ret
Third round: vs. Ben Shelton 4-6 7-5 6-7[6] 6-4 6-3
Alexei Popyrin:
First round: vs. Kwon Soon-woo 7-5 6-2 6-3
Second round: vs. Pedro Martinez 6-2 6-4 6-0
Third round: vs. Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4
Head To Head
With neither player having faced the other on Tour before, Sunday's match promises to be a fascinating clash.
Tiafoe and Popyrin have notched three career titles, with the Australian moving level with the No. 20 seed with his recent triumph in Canada
We say: Tiafoe to win in four sets
Sunday's fourth-round match should live up to the hype as both players' attacking styles should translate into an eye-catching encounter between Tiafoe and Popyrin.
The American's upswing since David Witt joined his team has undoubtedly been unmistakable, and the mentality shift for the Big Foe should stand in good stead against Popyrin.
