Alexei Popyrin upsets Novak Djokovic at the US Open 2024
Australian Tennis player Alexei Popyrin must be on the seventh cloud as he has defeated the defending champion Novak Djokovic in the ongoing US Open 2024. Alexei unleashed his brand of Big-Man Tennis to stun Djokovic at the US Open Friday night.
Alexei Popyrin outperformed Novak Djokovic in the first two sets, winning by an easy 6-4 and 6-4. However, he lost the third set by a huge margin of 2-6 but made a stronger comeback in the fourth set to win by 6-4. Popyrin showcased his impressive skills to win against the Paris Olympics gold medalist.
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Although Alexei Popyrin was impressive, Djokovic was partially responsible for his defeat. He served a career-high 14 double faults in a Grand Slam match, including four to hand Popyrin a double break at 5-2 in the fourth set. Djokovic’s mistakes proved crucial as the Australian was broken in his first attempt to serve out the match but closed it out two games later.
With the defeat, Djokovic’s hopes of winning a record-extending 25th Grand Slam men’s singles title and 100th career title ended. Earlier this year, at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Popyrin pushed Djokovic to four sets, and on Friday night too, but this time in a winning cause. Popyrin came into this match with 0-3 Lexus ATP Head2Head record against the Serbian legend.
The August of 2024 will be a month to remember for the 25-year-old Aussie Tennis player. Last night, on 30th August he defeated Paris Olympics 2024 gold medalist and earlier this month he won the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal. That win saw Popyrin jump to his career-high no.23 in the PIF ATP Rankings as he defeated five Top 20 players on his way to the title.
The defeat of Novak Djokovic was the second shocking upset at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the US Open 2024. Earlier, the 2022 US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz faces defeat against world no. 74 Botic van de Zandschulp.
After the match, Popyrin said, “Third time lucky [this year] I guess. Honestly, we had some battles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. I had my chances in those matches, but didn’t take them. This match was a little different. I was able to take my chances when I had them and played some good tennis.”
He added, “It’s unbelievable because I’ve been in the third round about 15 times in my career, but I haven’t been able to get past to the fourth round. To be able to do it against the greatest of all time to get into the fourth round is unbelievable. It’s a great feeling and the hard work has paid off.”
After the match, Novak Djokovic said: “Obviously it has an effect. I spent a lot of energy winning the gold and I did arrive in New York not feeling fresh. I tried my best, I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas, and you could see that. From the first match, I just didn’t find myself on this court. Life moves on. I’ll try to recalibrate and look forward to what’s next.”
Undoubtedly, the win against Novak Djokovic will give confidence to Alexei Popyrin going into the further stages of the tournament. After defeating the Serbian legend, Popyrin will eye no less than the US Open 2024 title.
