American tennis player Frances Tiafoe had a small, late-night crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium going wild on every point in an upset win that was one of the latest finishes in tournament history.
Tiafoe outlasted fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-1 and reached the fourth round for the second straight year. Tiafoe, Rublev and a few hundred fans were left on the grounds by the time the match ended at 2:14 a.m
There were three U.S. Open finishes at 2:26 a.m., in 1993, 2012 and 2014.
Tiafoe had experienced five-set heartbreak before at Flushing Meadows. He lost to John Isner in 2016, Roger Federer in 2017 and Alexander Zverev in 2019 in five. Not this time. The 23-year-old fan favorite stripped off his shirt and celebrated with fans, before he sat on the bench and shook his head at his accomplishment.
Frances Tiafoe outlasted Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-1 during the third round of the US Open Championship. AP
Andrey Rublev returns a shot to Frances Tiafoe, as Tiafoe pulled off the upset to win the match. APTiafoe won the five-setter in 3 hours, 45 minutes. Tiafoe is the first American man to reach the second week at the U.S. Open in consecutive years since Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish in 2011-12.
Frances Tiafoe celebrates and is pumped after beating Andrey Rublev during the third round of the US Open Championship. AP