Novak Djokovic’s ambitions of adding another Grand Slam title to his collection this year were destroyed when he was ousted in the third round of the US Open on Friday. The elimination came as a complete and total surprise to everyone. Alexei Popyrin, the 28th seed from Australia, was able to take Djokovic by surprise. Djokovic had won three major championships inside the previous year.
Popyrin, who is 24 years old, achieved the most significant victory in his professional career by prevailing over the second-seeded Djokovic in a match that lasted for 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, and 6-4. As a result of this victory, Popyrin has made it to the round of sixteen in a major event for the very first time.
Djokovic was exhausted and struggled to keep up with Popyrin’s very enthusiastic and aggressive performance, despite the fact that he had just recently won the gold medal at the Olympics. Throughout the course of the match, the Australian player made the most of important chances, which finally resulted in one of the most unexpected surprises of the tournament.
In the opening set, Popyrin broke Djokovic’s service to establish a 5-4 lead, which he later converted into a set victory. This was the beginning of Popyrin’s dominance at the beginning of the match.
During the second set, Popyrin continued to exert pressure, and he was successful in breaking Djokovic’s service once again, which contributed to his victory. Popyrin was able to win the second set because to his strong serve and volley game, which put Djokovic on the defensive and allowed him to lose the match.
Although Djokovic staged a comeback in the third set, which he ultimately won 6-2, Popyrin maintained his composure throughout the match.
In the fourth set, he once again broke Djokovic’s serve, which allowed him to take a commanding 3-2 lead in the match. Popyrin was able to keep his cool and finally put an end to the match when Djokovic’s forehand went long on match point, the moment that sealed the win for Popyrin and sealed the shock triumph.
For Djokovic, who was aiming for his 25th Grand Slam championship, this loss is a big blow. He was hoping to win the tournament. On the other side, Popyrin’s victory is a significant achievement in his career. It demonstrates his talent and earns him a berth in the round of 16 in a Grand Slam tournament for the very first time.