Frances Tiafoe pictured
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Francesca Tiafè sometimes she wears a bracelet that says “Why not me? Here’s a good question the American must have asked himself before joining a thrilled Arthur Ashe for his meeting with Rafael Nadal. Why not him? He did it. The number 26 of the ATP ranking achieved a sensational victory, annihilating the Spaniard and moved to the quarter-finals of the US Open.
No one has ever doubted Tiafoe’s potential, but the American has shown impressive perseverance and titanium mental strength to defeat world number three by 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in little more. 3 and a half hours. With the crowd in raptures, Tiafoe struck a string of win after win and kept Nadal at bay, who failed to activate Grand Slam mode to emerge undefeated from the round of 16.
With 48 winners (against 28 unforced errors) against Nadal’s 33-26, Tiafoe took advantage of nine double fouls by the Spaniard to condemn Rafa to his first defeat of the year in the Grand Slam tournaments. Why not him? He did it.
Tiafoe’s reaction at the end of the match said it all, in a mixture of tears and disbelief as he won the last point, ending the game with a break. It is only the second time in his career that he has reached the quarter-finals in a Grand Slam tournament and now he will be looking to burn at least one more round than the 2019 Australian Open. Andrei Rublev is next!
F. Tiafè 
against R. Nadal 
Slam it Open
F. Tiafè [22]-
6
4
6
6
–
R. Nadal [2]-
4
6
4
3
–
Winner: F. Tiafoe
Service
Development
Set 4
F. Tiafè
15-0
30-0
40-0
40-15
40-30
40-40
A-40
ace
40-40
A-40
ace
ace
–
4-3 → 5-3
–
R. Nadal
0-15
15-15
15-30
df
30-30
40-30
40-40
40-A
40-40
40-A
–
3-3 → 4-3
–
F. Tiafè
0-15
0-30
15-30
15-40
30-40
40-40
A-40
ace
–
2-3 → 3-3
–
R. Nadal
0-15
df
15-15
30-15
30-30
df
30-40
–
1-3 → 2-3
–
F. Tiafè
15-0
15-15
15-30
df
15-40
30-40
ace
–
1-2 → 1-3
–
R. Nadal
15-0
30-0
ace
40-0
ace
40-15
df
ace
–
1-1 → 1-2
–
F. Tiafè
15-0
15-15
30-15
ace
40-15
ace
–
0-1 → 1-1
–
R. Nadal
0-15
0-30
15-30
30-30
30-40
40-40
A-40
–
0-0 → 0-1
–
Service
Development
Set 3
F. Tiafè
0-15
df
15-15
30-15
40-15
ace
–
5-4 → 6-4
–
F. Tiafè
0-15
15-15
ace
30-15
ace
40-15
40-30
–
4-3 → 5-3
–
R. Nadal
15-0
15-15
df
30-15
30-30
30-40
–
3-3 → 4-3
–
F. Tiafè
0-15
15-15
30-15
40-15
ace
–
2-3 → 3-3
–
R. Nadal
15-0
ace
15-15
df
30-15
40-15
–
2-2 → 2-3
–
F. Tiafè
15-0
ace
30-0
40-0
40-15
40-30
–
1-2 → 2-2
–
Service
Development
Set 2
F. Tiafè
15-0
ace
15-15
15-30
15-40
30-40
df
–
4-5 → 4-6
–
R. Nadal
15-0
30-0
40-0
40-15
df
40-30
40-40
df
A-40
–
4-4 → 4-5
–
R. Nadal
15-0
ace
30-0
40-0
ace
40-15
–
2-2 → 2-3
–
F. Tiafè
15-0
30-0
30-15
40-15
ace
–
0-1 → 1-1
–
Service
Development
Set 1
F. Tiafè
15-0
30-0
40-0
40-15
df
40-30
–
5-4 → 6-4
–
R. Nadal
0-15
15-15
30-15
30-30
40-30
–
5-3 → 5-4
–
F. Tiafè
0-15
0-30
15-30
30-30
40-30
40-40
A-40
ace
40-40
A-40
ace
40-40
A-40
ace
–
4-3 → 5-3
–
R. Nadal
0-15
0-30
15-30
30-30
30-40
–
3-3 → 4-3
–
F. Tiafè
0-15
15-15
ace
15-30
30-30
40-30
40-40
A-40
–
2-3 → 3-3
–
R. Nadal
15-0
15-15
30-15
40-15
40-30
–
2-2 → 2-3
–
F. Tiafè
0-15
15-15
ace
30-15
30-30
40-30
ace
–
1-2 → 2-2
–
R. Nadal
15-0
30-0
ace
30-15
30-30
df
40-30
–
0-0 → 0-1
—-
F. Tiafoe – R. Nadal
18 ACE 9
4 DOUBLE DEFECTS 9
58/116 (50%) FIRST YOU NEED% IN 60/114 (53%)
44/58 (76%)% 1st SERVICE WIN 43/60 (72%)
35/58 (60%)% 2nd SERVICE WIN 30/54 (56%)
17/24 (71%) NET POINTS WON 10/14 (71%)
5/8 (63%) BREAKAGE POINTS WON 2/6 (33%)
41/114 (36%) POINTS RECEIVED 37/116 (32%)
49 WINNERS 33
28 UN FORCED ERRORS 26
120 TOTAL POINTS WON 110
10519.6 feet COVERED DISTANCE 10647.8 feet
45.7 feet COVERED DISTANCE / PT. 46.3 feet
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