American tennis standout Frances Tiafoe delivered one of the biggest moments to date at the U.S. Open on Monday evening.
Tiafoe defeated No. 2 seed and 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal in four sets to advance to the quarterfinals of the men’s singles tournament. The final scores were 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
It was Nadal’s first loss in a Grand Slam Tournament on the court in 2022. He won the Australian and French Open titles and advanced to the semifinals at Wimbledon before having to withdraw due to an injury.
At 24 years old, Tiafoe became the youngest American player to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open since 2006 when Andy Roddick accomplished the feat. Roddick was also 24. Tiafoe was also the first American player to reach the quarterfinals since 2018.
A native of Hyattsville, MD, Tiafoe grew up playing at the Junior Tennis Champions Center, which is a USTA Regional Training Center in Maryland. After his big victory, Tiafoe gave a shout out to St. Louisan Bradley Beal, who has been a star in the Washington D.C. area with the Washington Wizards for the past decade. Beal, who Tiafoe referred to as his favorite basketball player, was present in Tiafoe’s family box for the match.
Tiafoe, who is the No. 22 seed, will take on No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.