US Open: Frances Tiafoe beats Andrey Rublev as top seeds tumble
It was not a good day for the big shots in New York, as three players ranked in the top 5 of the singles competition were knocked out of the 2021 US Open.
5th seed Andrey Rublev was the last man to be shown the door on Friday night as he was ousted in a 5-set marathon by local hope Frances Tiafoe.
Spurred on by the home crowd, Tiafoe defeated Rublev 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-1 and progress to the 4th round at US Open. It was a see-saw battle as the match slipped into Saturday morning and finished at 2:15 am as the two players battled it out for 3 hours and 45 minutes at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
In fact, the center court at the Flushing Meadows was witness to 3 big names bowing out of the competition in back-to-back matches. It was teenager Carlos Alcaraz who started it by stunning 3rd seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a 5-set battle. Defending champion Naomi Osaka was then knocked out by 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez of Canada.
Wasn’t going to leave this court without winning: Tiafoe
Speaking after the sensational win, Frances Tiafoe thanked the New York crowd for spurring him on against Rublev on Friday.
“You guys are the reason I got it done tonight. You guys stuck with me all the way through,” Tiafoe said.
“I love these matches… These are the matches I train for. I came out here thinking ‘I want to beat him’. Let’s keep going.”
“I’ve lost a lot of five-setters. I was just amped up… I wasn’t going to leave this court without winning tonight,” Tiafoe, who finished with 69 winners and 23 aces, added.
After Rublev took the opening set on the back of a strong service game, Tiafoe bounced back in the second to keep the match evenly poised. The American saved a set point in the third set tiebreak before going 2-1 up and despite the sparse crowd still in attendance, the roar was deafening.
Rublev regained his momentum in the fourth when, at 4-2 down, he won four consecutive games to force a decider.
But Tiafoe found an extra reserve of energy in the fifth where his forehands were faster and stronger, giving Rublev no chance to settle down as the American quickly jumped into a 5-0 lead before serving out the set.
Tiafoe next faces Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-3.
