‘Big choke’: Popyrin rues fatal mistakes in US Open exit

Alexei Popyrin is out of the US Open after going down to American fan favourite Frances Tiafoe, with the Australian admitting he ‘choked’ in crucial moments of the match.

The 25-year-old from Sydney won the third set but ultimately was outclassed by the tournament’s No.20 seed to lose in four sets 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3.

The fourth round appearance was Popyrin’s best grand slam result and it was the first time he had been seeded at a major tournament.

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Popyrin showed plenty of fight against Tiafoe as he continues to cement himself as a force to be reckoned with on the men’s tour.

But speaking in his post-match press conference, Popyrin gave a blunt self-assessment, identifying why the match swung against him in the second set.

“It was definitely a lost opportunity. I’ve been saying all week that, against these top players, you have to take your chances when you have them,” he said.

“Obviously, 5-3, 40-0 up, serving – it’s a really big choke from my end.

“I think from then, a momentum swing is bound to happen to his side. I did a good job at five-all to hold my serve and take it to a tiebreak, but he had momentum in that tiebreak, and that’s just the way it went.

“I think if it was one set all, considering how the third set went and how I found a way to kind of neutralise his really good play, I think it could have been a little bit different.”

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According to Jelena Dokic, who broke the match down on the Nine broadcast, the rising Aussie star can take plenty of positives out of his loss on Monday (AEST).

“Popyrin had a few of those chances, he will go back and look at them and know what he should have done differently,” she said.

“Alexei got up 5-3 in the second set and served at 40-0 … you can’t give up chances like that against a player as good as Tiafoe.

“But how he recovered Poyrin, to come out and win that third set, I think this is a big sign of his mental strength. Players are watching and the locker room will know he won’t give up and he came back and played spectacular tennis. 

“He will be a little bit disappointed, as he should be, but I think that’s part of being a great athlete. You have to give so much credit to this man right here [Tiafoe].

“He played unbelievable tennis. Tiafoe found something special and unforced errors were nowhere to be seen. He was aggressive inside the baseline … we know he’s got the flair but that can go up and down in consistency, but not today.”

Tiafoe will now move into a quarter-final clash with ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov.

The likes of Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur and Daniil Medvedev are also still in the mix in the men’s draw.

No.10 seed de Minaur meets countryman Jordan Thompson in a fourth round clash on Tuesday (AEST), meaning there is guaranteed to be one Australian still in the draw in the quarter finals.