Frances Tiafoe reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open is becoming an annual occurrence. The American and Hyattsville, Maryland native is heading to the final eight of the US Open for the third consecutive year.
Tiafoe secured a spot in the quarters by defeating Alexei Popyrin in a thrilling four-set match, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3 Sunday night. The win sets the stage for Tiafoe to face ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday.
After taking the first set, Tiafoe went down 2-5 in the second set. Momentum was flushed to Popyrin’s side. However, Tiafoe stormed back, winning the next three games to tie the set at 5-5, including a break of Popyrin’s serve.
The two would go into a tiebreaker, where Popyrin unraveled with two of his nine double faults before Tiafoe closed the set with an ace.
Popyrin regained himself and breezed through the third set. Once again, momentum shifted. Yet, Tiafoe broke through in the fourth to go up 5-2 before closing the match with a forehand.
Frances Tiafoe becomes the first American since Andy Roddick (2006-2008) to make three straight quarterfinal appearances. His journey has included beating Aleksandar Kovacevic in four sets, Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets, and fellow American Ben Shelton in a five-set classic in the Round of 32.
Tiafoe’s stay in the tournament has ended in the quarterfinals for the past two years. A win on Tuesday would give him his first Grand Slam semifinal appearance and bring him one step closer to achieving his dream of winning a major title.
