3) US Open, Third Round, Frances Tiafoe d. Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-1
https://www.atptour.com/en/news/best-gr ... 021-5-to-3Spoiler:In a sport with more than its share of extraordinary backstories, consider the unlikely trajectory of Francis Tiafoe:
His mother, Alphina, escaped civil war in Sierra Leone when she received a rarely granted visa to the United States. Frances Sr., working on a construction crew at a junior tennis center in College Park, Md., was eventually offered a job there as a janitor. That’s where their son learned to love the game, and eventually master it.
In 2014, Tiafoe met another precocious 16-year-old in the junior quarter-finals of the US Open, Andrey Rublev. The American prevailed in three sets and they wouldn’t meet again until seven years later at the same venue – with drastically higher stakes. This time, Rublev – ranked No. 5 in the world – was a heavy favourite.
It was no surprise, then, that Rublev had the third set, and a formidable advantage, on his racquet at 6/5 in the tie-break. But rushing a second serve, the Russian double faulted into the net and Tiafoe escaped with the set – sending the Arthur Ashe Stadium late, late night crowd into hysterics. Tiafoe artfully worked the spectators and they helped him build a 4-2 lead in the fourth. Rublev came back, winning four straight games and the match was level.
Friday night had long since passed into Saturday morning when Tiafoe overpowered the Russian, winning six of the last seven games. He played aggressively, with unnatural confidence, hitting 14 winners – an average of two per game – and finished with a total of 69.
It was 2:14 a.m., and what was left of the crowd roared after a three-hour, 45-minute classic. Tiafoe walked stoically to net, congratulated his opponent, set his racquet down – and then ripped his off his shirt. He bounded to the edge of the stands and lifted his arms in triumph, nodding his head.
“You guys are the reason I got it done tonight,” Tiafoe said. “You guys stuck with me all the way through.
“I’ve lost a lot of tough matches on this court. I wasn’t going to leave this court without a win tonight.”
Fun footnote: It was tied for the fifth-latest finish in US Open history. Incredibly, Tiafoe’s coach, Wayne Ferreira, was involved in the other 2:14 a.m. ending, losing a memorable four-set match to Younes El Aynaoui in 2002.
It was the second straight year for Tiafoe in the fourth round of the US Open, but he would lose to Felix Auger-Aliassime four sets.
“I love these matches,” Tiafoe told the crowd. “This is why you work. This is why you put the time in, to play the best guys in the world. These are the matches I get up for.
“I want these guys. I want to put it on my resume. I came out today and I was like, ‘I’m going to beat him.’ I grew up with this guy, I don’t fear any of these guys. Let's keep going.”