American Frances Tiafoe upsets Rafael Nadal in 4th round of US Open men’s tennis match
The 18-year-old is a rising star for the U.S.
After losing his first two matches in the U.S. Open quarterfinals, the young teenager started the second set with a string of powerful backhand groundstrokes that he would go on to win 6-1. His powerful serve and excellent movement off the ground set up a comeback in the fifth set, and after falling in a tiebreaker, he took the fourth set 6-4. It was a performance that he did not expect to leave him in the fourth round, but there he was.
He entered into the match with more than $1,000,000 in career earnings in the US Open, but he is still only the ninth-ranked man in the world this year. Rafael Nadal moved into the final round by winning his first match in a row at the tournament, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Nadal will have one more chance to match this achievement. Nadal will face Kevin Anderson in the second round on Thursday, and the match has not yet been declared. The winner will face either Marin Cilic (l. to Nadal) or Milos Raonic (r. to Nadal).
After the disappointing match of Dominic Thiem (final round) and a 4-5, 6-4, 4-6, 8-6 loss to Kevin Anderson (final round) on Monday, Rafael Nadal will be looking to continue his winning run going into the final two rounds of the US Open.
The first round is also on Thursday. With the exception of Alexander Zverev, all of the players entering play on Thursday are ranked above 100 in the world, with Nadal leading the way, with seven victories, including three on his way to a maiden US Open crown.
The top seed will next play Juan Martin del Potro, who will make his debut on a Grand Slam court. The Argentine has won the ATP World Tour 1000 title six times, more than any other player in Grand Slam tennis.