Australian Alexei Popyrin showcased his unique style of Big-Man Tennis, shocking Novak Djokovic at the US Open on Friday night, defeating the defending champion 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 with an impressive 50 winners.
Djokovic contributed to his own downfall, serving a career-high 14 double faults in a Grand Slam match, including four that gave Popyrin a double break at 5-2 in the fourth set. This crucial insurance break allowed the Australian to recover after being broken in his first attempt to serve out the match, ultimately sealing the victory two games later.
This marked the second significant upset in as many days on Arthur Ashe Stadium, following World No. 74 Botic van de Zandschulp’s straight-sets triumph over 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz in the second round.
“Third time lucky, I guess,” Popyrin remarked. “Honestly, we’ve had some tough battles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. I had my chances in those matches but couldn’t capitalize. This match felt different. I was able to seize my opportunities and played some solid tennis.”
“It’s incredible because I’ve reached the third round about 15 times in my career, but I’ve never made it to the fourth round,” Popyrin added. “To accomplish this against one of the greatest of all time and reach the fourth round is amazing. It’s a fantastic feeling, and all the hard work has finally paid off.”
When asked in a press conference if his intense focus on winning Olympic gold in Paris had taken a toll, Djokovic responded: “Clearly, it has had an impact. I exerted a lot of energy to win the gold and arrived in New York not feeling fresh. I gave it my all and didn’t experience any physical problems, but I just felt drained, and that was evident. From the very first match, I struggled to find my rhythm on this court.
“Life goes on. I’ll work on recalibrating and look forward to what lies ahead.”
With the biggest victory of his career, Popyrin dashed Djokovic’s dreams of securing a record-extending 25th Grand Slam men’s singles title and his 100th career title. Earlier this year, Popyrin pushed Djokovic to four sets at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, but he entered Friday night’s match with an 0-3 record against the legend in their Lexus ATP Head2Head encounters.
This August will be memorable for the 25-year-old Australian, who also achieved a surprising victory at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal earlier this month. With that triumph, the current No. 28 surged to a career-high ranking of No. 23 in the PIF ATP Rankings, having defeated five Top 20 players on his way to the title.
The last time Djokovic finished a season without a Grand Slam title was in 2017. It hasn’t happened since 2002 that a season passed without a member of the Big Three (Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal) winning a major.
Popyrin will now face home favorite No. 20 Frances Tiafoe in his first fourth-round appearance at the US Open. This matchup will mark their first encounter in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Tiafoe triumphed over fellow American and last year’s semi-finalist No. 13 Ben Shelton, winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 in a grueling match on Arthur Ashe earlier on Friday.
Djokovic’s loss marks his earliest exit at a major since he was eliminated in the second round of the 2017 Australian Open by Denis Istomin. It also represents his earliest departure from the US Open since he lost in the same round to Lleyton Hewitt in 2006.
