American fritz

American Brandon Nakashima: The 20th seed Francis Tiafoe registered a 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 win to fend off giant-slayer Alexei Popyrin and reach the US Open quarterfinals for a third consecutive year.

Popyrin scribed his name in US Open lore when he sent defending champion Novak Djokovic tumbling out of the draw just 48 hours prior to Sunday’s fourth-round contest.

With the win, Tiafoe continues to make history for American men’s tennis, becoming the fourth American man to appear in three US Open quarterfinals since 2000. The feat puts him in elite company with Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras as the only other men to do so this century.