Defending champion Novak Djokovic followed Carlos Alcaraz out of the US Open in another seismic shock in New York as the 24-time Grand Slam champion was beaten by Australian 28th seed Alexei Popyrin on Friday night.

Less than 24 hours after third seed and 2022 champion Alcaraz crashed out of the tournament to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, Djokovic was dethroned by 25-year-old Popyrin 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4.

Chasing a record-extending 25th major title, Djokovic was playing his first tournament since winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

But the Australian, who secured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal earlier this month, outmuscled 37-year-old Djokovic with a fearless brand of tennis to seal the biggest win of his career under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Djokovic: Round three a success

After his loss Djokovic said he played some of the worst tennis he’s ever played in his life at the US Open.

“Congrats to him and his team,” said the Serbian. “He played better and deserved to win. Honestly with the way I felt and played from the start of the tournament… round three is a success!

“I played some of the worst tennis I’ve ever played. Serving by far some of the worst ever. On a quick surface like this, you can’t win without a serve. You can’t win against the guys who are in form like Alexei. It was just an awful match from me.”

Djokovic, who had to dig deep to win the Olympic gold medal against Alcaraz earlier this month, failed to convert five break point opportunities in the opening set, while Popyrin broke serve on his first chance for a 5-4 lead and then grabbed the first set.

Popyrin broke again when Djokovic’s forehand volley landed wide for a 3-2 advantage and he soon took control of the match with a perfectly executed serve and volley to capture the second set.

The second-seeded Djokovic showed some life in the third to claw his way back into the match.

But the comeback proved short-lived, with Popyrin letting out a mighty roar when he crushed a ferocious forehand winner for a break of serve and 3-2 lead in the fourth.

He completed the upset when Djokovic’s forehand sailed long on match point.

The last time Djokovic did not taste Grand Slam glory in a season was in 2017 as he suffered his earliest loss at Flushing Meadows since 2006.

“Third time lucky [this year] I guess,” Popyrin said. “Honestly, we had some battles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. I had my chances in those matches, but didn’t take them. This match was a little different. I was able to take my chances when I had them and played some good tennis.

“It’s unbelievable because I’ve been in the third round about 15 times in my career, but I haven’t been able to get past to the fourth round.

“To be able to do it against the greatest of all time to get into the fourth round is unbelievable. It’s a great feeling and the hard work has paid off.”

Not since 2002 has a season gone by without a member of the ‘Big Three’ (Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal) winning a major.

Popyrin to face Tiafoe next

Frances Tiafoe overcame Ben Shelton in a thrilling all-American clash, with the 20th seed twice coming from behind to win in five sets.

Both players have reached the semi-final stage at Flushing Meadows previously, with Shelton doing so last year when beating Tiafoe in the last eight.

But Tiafoe gained revenge over the 21-year-old this time round, battling back to beat the 13th seed 4-6 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3 in a match lasting over four hours.

Shelton, who held a 2-0 head-to-head record going into the contest, sent down 23 aces and 63 winners in the contest, but it wasn’t to be enough, with Tiafoe securing a fourth-round meeting with Popyrin.

Tiafoe: I hope you enjoyed the show

Frances Tiafoe, speaking to Sky Sports courtside:

“Ben is an incredible player. He really is. He goes for all kinds of shots, he has no care in the world, and it’s really annoying. He has a great serve and great energy out here.

“He’s really talented, comes up with great shots, and so can I. We both move really well and it’s just highlight after highlight.

“I hope you enjoyed the show, four hours of this.”

Henman: Tiafoe never blinked, deserves win

Sky Sports’ Tim Henman:

“Tiafoe deserves all the credit in the world. When he lost that third-set tie-break, you wondered whether his chance was over. But he kept that focus, kept that quality and got back on level terms.

“When he got that decisive break of serve in the fifth set, he never blinked. He absolutely deserves to be through to the fourth round.”

What else happened at the US Open?

Bulgarian ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov carved out a comfortable 6-3 6-3 6-1 win over Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor to set up a fourth round showdown with Russian Andrey Rublev.

American 12th seed Taylor Fritz comfortably saw off Argentina’s Franciso Comesana with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win to advance to the fourth round where he will meet Casper Ruud.

The former finalist and eighth seed fought back from two sets down to beat Shang Juncheng 6-7 (1-7) 3-6 6-0 6-3 6-1 – winning 18 of the last 22 games.

Brandon Nakashima came from 4-0 down in the fourth set to claim a shock 6-2 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win over Italian 18th seed Lorenzo Musetti and reach the fourth round for the first time.

What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in September?

• Jasmin Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (9-15 September)
• Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (9-15 September)
• Korea Open – WTA 500 (16 -22 September – with Emma Raducanu in action)
• Thailand Open – WTA 250 (16 -22 September)
• Chengdu Open, China – ATP 250 (18-24 September)
• Hangzhou Open, China – ATP 250 (18-24 September)
• China Open – WTA 1000 (Sept 25 – Oct 6)
• Japan Open – ATP 500 (Sept 25 – Oct 1)
• China Open – ATP 500 (Sept 26 – Oct 2)

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