Frances Tiafoe secures third straight US Open quarterfinals appearance with win over Alexei Popyrin.

For the third consecutive year, Frances Tiafoe will be advancing to the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

On Sunday night, the 26-year-old defeated Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3 to advance.

Since Andy Roddick, Tiafoe is the first American man to reach three consecutive U.S. Open quarterfinals.

In 2022, Tiafoe lost to the eventual champion, Carlos Alcaraz, in the semifinals, and in the quarterfinals of the previous year, he lost to fellow American Ben Shelton.

Tiafoe defeated Shelton in a thrilling five-set match at this year's tournament, avenging his previous loss to him.

During the second set, Tiafoe's victory on Sunday was a turning point.

"Breaking the second set was a massive victory for me," Tiafoe stated. "With him serving, it was a challenging match. However, winning 5-3 and 40-love was a huge accomplishment. It was a significant moment in the game."

Tiafoe came back from a 3-5 deficit to tie the set at 5-5, and ultimately won the tiebreaker.

Popyrin, the 28th seed from Australia, was disappointed with his performance in the second set.

"Popyrin stated that it was a lost opportunity, as he had been saying all week that against top players, one should take chances when they arise. Unfortunately, he made a big choke, losing 5-3 and 40-Love up serving."

For the first time in his career, the Australian reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam after defending champion Novak Djokovic on Friday.

Tiafoe won the fourth set despite Popyrin's impressive comeback in the third set.

Tiafoe, like Fritz, became an American to reach the quarterfinals with his win.

""This is the most important time for me because everything is happening when it’s meant to happen," Tiafoe stated."

If Tommy Paul defeats Jannik Sinner on Monday, the U.S. will have three men in the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for the second consecutive year.

On Tuesday, Tiafoe will compete against the ninth-ranked Grigor Dimitrov for a spot in the semifinals. Tiafoe has a 1-3 record against Dimitrov in their career matches.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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