- Australian stuns world No 2 with 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win in US Open
- Serbian tennis great made to wait in attempt to claim 25th singles title
Shooting star Alexei Popyrin has shattered Novak Djokovic’s latest quest for tennis immortality with a hoodoo-busting third-round US Open triumph in New York. Popyrin sensationally snapped Djokovic’s 18-year grand slam winning streak over Australians with a seismic 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night.
As he was at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, Djokovic had once again been desperate to break Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 singles majors with a fifth title at Flushing Meadows. Instead 25-year-old Popyrin can himself dream big after sending the ageing world No 2 packing to storm into the last 16 of a slam for the first time.