American Francis Tiafoe beats Alexei Popyrin to reach third consecutive U.S. Open quarterfinal

Francis Tiafoe is back in the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the third consecutive year.

The 26-year-old reached the final on Sunday night by beating Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3.

With the win, Tiafoe became the first American player to reach three consecutive quarterfinals at the U.S. Open since Andy Roddick did it from 2006 to 2008.

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Tiafoe lost in the semifinals in 2022 to eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz and in the quarterfinals last year to fellow American Ben Shelton.

But Tiafoe avenged his loss to Shelton at this year's tournament, defeating him in a thrilling five-set match.

The turning point in Tiafoe's victory Sunday came in the second set.

“I think the second set was a huge win for me,” Tiafoe said. “5-3, 40-love, his serve, the way he served, that was really, really big. To get that break and win that set was huge.”

Tiafoe rallied from 5-3 down to make it 5-5 and take the set into a tiebreak, which he eventually won.

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Alexei Popyrin of Australia serves against Francis Tiafoe of the United States during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, in New York City. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Popyrin, the 28th seed from Australia, was disappointed with his play in the second set.

“Definitely missed opportunities,” Popyrin said. “I've said it all week, when you have opportunities against the best players, you've got to take advantage of them. Obviously serving up at 5-3, 40-love was a really big mistake on my part.”

The Australian pulled off a major upset on Friday by beating defending champion Novak Djokovic to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.

Popyrin fought back to win the third set in a commanding fashion, but Tiafoe never wavered and sealed the victory in the fourth.

With the win, Tiafoe joined Taylor Fritz as two Americans to reach the quarterfinals.

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Francis Tiafoe plays during his match against Alexei Popyrin on day seven of the 2024 U.S. Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. (Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)

“Everything happens as it should,” Tiafoe said. “I'm happy it's happening now because this is the most important time for me.”

If fellow American Tommy Paul beats world number one Jannik Sinner on Monday, three Americans will advance to the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for the second straight year.

Tiafoe will face world No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday for a spot in the semifinals. Tiafoe's record against Dimitrov is 1-3.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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