Frances Tiafoe defeated Alexei Popyrin securing a spot in the quarter-finals of the US Open

Frances Tiafoe’s success at the US Open has been nothing short of remarkable, as he becomes the first US men’s player to reach three consecutive US Open quarter-finals since the legendary Andy Roddick, who also happened to be the last American male to clinch their home slam back in 2003. Tiafoe’s journey to the quarter-finals this year was solidified with a hard-fought victory over Novak Djokovic’s conqueror, Alexei Popyrin, with a score of 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 2-6 6-3 on Sunday night. Seeded 20th, Tiafoe is now gearing up to face the ninth seed, Grigor Dimitrov, in a highly anticipated match on Tuesday, with the hope of securing a spot in the final four.

Looking back at his previous performances, Tiafoe’s resilience and determination are evident. In 2022, he fell to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz at the semi-final stage, showcasing his capability to compete at the highest level. Additionally, his quarter-final elimination last year at the hands of fellow American Ben Shelton, followed by his triumphant victory over Shelton in this year’s third round in a five-set epic, underline his consistency and continuous improvement at the US Open.

The defeat of Popyrin, who is the No 28 seed, marked the end of his impressive run at Flushing Meadows, after causing a major upset by defeating defending champion Djokovic in the previous round. Despite delivering 24 aces during the thrilling contest, Popyrin also struggled with nine double faults and some costly unforced errors.

Shifting the focus to the women’s category, last year’s US Open runner-up Aryna Sabalenka is on track to potentially surpass her previous achievement after securing her place in the quarter-finals. Her triumph over Elise Mertens with a score of 6-2 6-4 positioned her amongst the top eight contenders. The path ahead for Sabalenka includes a challenging encounter against Olympic gold medallist Qinwen Zheng, who advanced after defeating Donna Vekic 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 6-2 in the latest-finishing women’s match in US Open history.

Notably, Zheng’s victory over Vekic, which concluded at 2.15am on Monday morning, set a new record at Flushing Meadows, surpassing the previous late-finishing match by two minutes. The 21-year-old Chinese athlete is aiming to etch her name in the annals of tennis history by becoming the fourth woman to achieve the remarkable feat of winning Olympic gold and the US Open in the same year. This exclusive club currently includes tennis legends Steffi Graf (1988), Venus Williams (2000), and Serena Williams (2012), showcasing the magnitude of the challenge that Zheng is poised to undertake.