Who is Frances Tiafoe - man who beat Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of US Open

New York: Frances Tiafoe pulled off the biggest win of his career when the 22nd-ranked American beat second-seeded Rafael Nadal 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the US Open quarterfinals on Monday. Tiafoe buried his head in his hands and cried on the court after he shook hands with Nadal. He sat on the bench and buried his head in a towel as Nadal walked off and waved to the crowd. The 24-year-old Tiafoe is the youngest American to reach the quarters since Andy Roddick did at 24 in 2006. He is the first American man to reach the last eight in New York since John Isner in 2018. Tiafoe already was the first American man to reach the fourth round in three straight years since Mardy Fish in 2010-12. “I’m beyond happy, almost in tears, I can’t believe it,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “I played unbelievable tennis today. I really don’t know what happened.” “At 4-3 [in the fourth set], when I went up 40/0, my legs were like cement,” Tiafoe said. “I just needed to get out of the game and then pray to god that I don’t have to serve for it. I was lucky enough to get out of that game. I came out not giving Rafa all the respect. I came out to win a tennis match if front of you guys.” Tiafoe’s win against Rafa was the biggest win by an American man at the US Open since James Blake defeated the then-World No 2 Spaniard in the third round in 2005. Here’s a quick snapshot of the American who caused the biggest upset of the tournament: # Age: 24 # Turned pro: 2014 (took up the sport at age of 3) # Title(s): One which came at Delay Beach in 2018. He remains the youngest American champion since Roddick, 19, at 2002 Houston # Current ranking: 26 # 2022 win-loss record: 21-18 # Highest ranking: 24 (on 8 August 2022) # Career win-loss: 123-137 # Biggest career win: Beat World No 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in Vienna # His parents emigrated from Sierra Leone in 1996 and father was Head of Maintenance at Junior Tennis Champions Center in Maryland, where Frances and his twin brother Franklin trained as kids. # Nicknamed ‘Big Foe’, he reached World No 2 as a junior # Favourites: Clay, forehand and Indian Wells tournament # Childhood idol: Juan Martin del Potro # Recipient of 2020 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award. He is an Ambassador for ThanksUSA and USTA’s National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL). During the COVID-19 pandemic, he auctioned off signed memorabilia to benefit Center for Disaster Philanthropy. In the same year, he posted “Racquets Down, Hands Up” video that united Black tennis community during Black Lives Matter movement. # US Open 2022 run: Tiafoe eliminated Marcos Giron, Jason Kubler and Diego Schwartzman in straight sets during the opening week. # In words: “When I first came on the scene I felt like a lot of people had a lot of expectations on me on how I would do,” Tiafoe said. “I wasn’t ready for it mentally. I wasn’t mature enough for it. These past couple of years, when the tension hasn’t been on me I have been able to develop. I have a great team behind me. I am just putting my head down and I am happy with where I am in life in general. I am able to do me and do it my way and enjoy the game I love.” (with inputs from AP and information from ATP) Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News ,  India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .