NEW YORK — Two days ago, Frances Tiafoe went into a 50-50 third-round match against Ben Shelton knowing that even if he won, he would likely be a massive underdog in his next assignment. Defending champion Novak Djokovic lurked in Tiafoe and Shelton’s quarter of the draw.

On Sunday night, Tiafoe hit a forehand down the sideline to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open, with an open court before him and 24,000 people standing under floodlights around him.

From underdog to one of the last survivors, in just 48 hours.

On another thrilling night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Tiafoe defeated Djokovic’s conqueror, Alexei Popyrin, 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3, in just over three hours. He faces Grigor Dimitrov in the last eight with the wind at his back and belief racing through him. In tennis, life comes at you fast.

This tournament means so much to Tiafoe, who reached the semifinals two years ago and the quarterfinals in 2023. The first of those runs was a breakthrough for the American, one that gave him, in his own words, “a lot of confidence.” It kept him going until last year’s event, when a painful defeat to Shelton hit him hard.

Frances Tiafoe’s return of serve gave him an edge over Alexei Popyrin. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

“When I lost to him last year, I struggled for a long time,” Tiafoe said Friday, reflecting on a match in which Shelton eclipsed him as the crowd favorite and America’s favorite new tennis player.

It wasn’t until Wimbledon, 10 months later, that Tiafoe regained his magic.

GALLING DEEPER

‘Better tennis is on the horizon’: Will Frances Tiafoe come back to life?

This year’s run feels different. The first was a whirlwind; New York and the American sporting landscape fell in love with Tiafoe as he showed his talent. Last year, there was more pressure, less joy in Tiafoe’s tennis. Now, the pressure is back, but it’s come more suddenly. Two days ago, few considered Tiafoe a realistic title contender.

He is now undeniably in that echelon after a largely controlled performance against Popyrin. There were a few of the highlights Tiafoe lives for, such as a flopped forehand passing shot in the second-set tiebreak that brought the crowd to its feet, but this was also a performance full of margins and smart decisions.

It was Tiafoe’s return, an area of ​​his game he has expanded under new coach David Witt, that took the match off Popyrin’s racquet in the early stages. The huge-serving Shelton said Friday that Tiafoe probably bounced back against him better than anyone else has all year. Tiafoe broke his compatriot five times in five sets in that match. He went after Popyrin’s serve, another formidable weapon, with a similar goal.

He grabbed the decisive break of the first set at 4-4 with some clutch returns, including on the first point of the game, after which he asked the crowd for more noise. In the second set, Tiafoe looked to be trailing 5-3, 40-0 on Popyrin’s serve, but he miraculously created a break out of nowhere.

Popyrin helped him with some nerve-wracking strokes, but a winning high backhand return on the last of three set points underlined how well Tiafoe was reading his opponent’s serve and how effectively he was using its speed to his advantage.

Buoyed by that reprieve and with his opponent rattled, Tiafoe raced through the ensuing tiebreak to take a two-set lead, playing with such authority and creativity that it was reminiscent of the 7-0 tiebreak defeat he served to Andrey Rublev on this court in the quarterfinals two years ago. After an ace sealed it, the crowd, such a powerful force for Tiafoe here, was on its feet again.

Popyrin wasn’t done yet. After spending much of the match feeling jaded after his performance two nights ago, the No. 28 seed rebounded impressively to win the third set 6-2, pacifying the crowd and overwhelming his opponent. His first-serve point percentage shot up from 72 in the second set to 93 in the third, while Tiafoe suddenly struggled to find his rhythm.
Now it was the American who had to pull himself together and just like on his return, he feels he has significantly improved his reset strategy.

Alexei Popyrin’s serve, which led him to victory over Novak Djokovic, failed on Sunday night. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

“I think I’m doing a lot better,” he said after beating Shelton.

“I’m proud of myself, I don’t give up easily. I just want to win or lose matches, knowing that the man beat me; I didn’t beat myself. No free lunches. I don’t try to pull my opponent over the line.”

Tiafoe added that he has been working with “a mental guy, a process guy” on this aspect of the game.

At the start of the fourth set against Popyrin, Tiafoe held firm. He was 0-30 down at 1-1, but held the pressure as the crowd went wild, even more so when Tiafoe changed his shirt at 2-1. Three games later, Tiafoe got the break he needed when a blocked return and a clever adjustment of his body to avoid a serve that was kicked to his upper body drew errors from Popyrin. Suddenly it was 4-2 and Popyrin was finally out.

Tiafoe served out the match and produced a magnificent drop volley in the final game to keep his dream alive.

From underdog to the land of opportunity, in a few invigorating days.

(Top photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)