New Delhi: The 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin defeated Olympic gold medallist and defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the third round of the US Open 2024 on August 31, Saturday. This was the second biggest upset of the tournament after Carlos Alcaraz lost against unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round on August 30.
Since the Australian Open 2017, This was Djokovic’s earliest Grand Slam exit. He will finish a calendar year without winning a slam for the second time. Neither Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer will win a Grand Slam title in a year for the first time since 2002. Djokovic has played ten US Open finals and won the title in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023.
That moment for Alexei Popyrin 😤 pic.twitter.com/DbAMvn4rGJ
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2024
Who us Alexei Popyrin?
Popyrin was born in Sydney (Australia) and has both Russian and Australian heritage. He started playing tennis at the age of four at Kim Warwick Tennis Academy. He relocated to Dubai for two years due to his father’s work commitment at the age of 8. He speaks English, Russian and Spanish and is a supporter of Everton FC in the English Premier League.
He began his professional career in 2017 and gained popularity quickly. He won his first ATP title in 2021 at the Singapore Open, which was an important milestone in his career. He has been climbing the ATP rankings steadily, showing his potential and talent to become a big player. Popyrin also won the Croatia Open in 2023 by defeating three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka. He also won the Canadian Open in 2024.
He is known for his powerful serve and aggressive style which makes him a strong opponent on the hard courts. The 25-year-old is considered as one of the rising talents of the Australian talent.
Popyrin will now face Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round and will look to advance to the quarterfinals of the US Open 2024. Tiafoe defeated Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 on Friday.
Know all about Alexei Popyrin, the player who defeated Novak Djokovic in the third round of the US Open 2024. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
