Frances Tiafoe is dreaming big after upsetting Rafael Nadal in the US Open fourth round on Monday to open up the men's singles draw.
The 22nd-seeded American stunned the 22-time grand slam champion, winning 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3 in three hours and 34 minutes.
The victory meant Tiafoe reached the US Open quarter-finals for the first time, having fallen in the fourth round in the past three years. It also equaled his best-ever major return, having made the 2019 Australian Open quarters as well.
It also opens up the men's singles draw for a potential new grand slam winner, with Marin Cilic – who is due to play third seed Carlos Alcaraz on Monday evening – the last remaining major champion.
"Everyone is looking at it I'm sure," Tiafoe told reporters about the draw. "Everyone looks at it. Here we go, right? So am I. I'm just taking it day by day.
"Slams, crazy things can happen. Especially here in New York, so it's going to be a fun ride come Wednesday."
Tiafoe will take on ninth seed Andrey Rublev on Wednesday in the last eight, where he will hope to re-produce the "unbelievable" form he displayed against Nadal.
"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."
During his press conference, he added: "It was definitely one hell of a performance… I just came out there and I just believed I could do it.
"It helps I played him a couple times. Haven't played him in some years [not since 2019]. I'm a different person now, different player."
Tiafoe had never beaten Nadal before, nor had he taken a set off the Spanish world number three. The victory was Tiafoe's third against a top-five opponent.
"For a while there, I was like, geez, you see all these young guys get Rafa, Fed [Roger Federer], Novak [Djokovic], am I ever going to be able to say I beat one of them?" he said.
"Today I was like, no, I'm going to do that. Now it's something to tell the kids, the grandkids, I beat Rafa."
Tiafoe was also blown away after four-time NBA MVP LeBron James tweeted after his win, labeling him the "young king".
"I was losing it in the locker room. I was going crazy," he said. "That's my guy, so to see him post that, I was like do I retweet it as soon as he sent it? I was like, you know what, I'm going to be cool and act like I didn't see it and then retweet it three hours later."
Osaka eliminated by Samsonova in Madrid
Naomi Osaka was knocked out of the Madrid Open by Liudmila Samsonova after an entertaining second-round battle on Thursday.
Having won her first match on clay for two years against Greet Minnen a day earlier, Osaka was able to force a final set against 15th seed Samsonova but ultimately fell to defeat.
Samsonova won a close encounter 6-2 4-6 7-5 to book a clash with American Madison Keys – who defeated Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets – in the next round.
Osaka had beaten Samsonova at Indian Wells last month and came close to securing another victory as she recovered well from losing the opening set.
But the Japanese star was broken to fall 5-6 behind in the final set, and the Russian made no mistake in ruthlessly closing out the victory.
Data Debrief: Samsonova ends losing streak
This was a crucial win for Samsonova, who came into the match having lost four consecutive contests, including that Indian Wells defeat to Osaka on March 9.
Samsonova did apply plenty of pressure in the final set – forcing five break points compared to just one for Osaka – and was ultimately rewarded in the closing stages of a contest that lasted two hours and 22 minutes.
Azarenka makes history with 200th WTA 1000 win
Victoria Azarenka made light work of progressing into the round of 32 at the Madrid Open and she made history in the progress.
Azarenka, a two-time finalist in Madrid, despatched Tatjana Maria 6-3 6-1 on Thursday.
It brought up her 200th victory at WTA 1000 events, which makes her the first woman to hit that milestone since the format was introduced in 2009.
The former world number one needed just 81 minutes on court to get the job done, and will face Sara Sorribes Tormo in the next round.
Data Debrief
This was Azarenka's first meeting with Maria, and her service game was excellent, with the Belarusian winning 63.2 per cent of her first-serve points. She also saved five break points, having offered up seven, and converted six going the other way.
Azarenka, who has won 10 WTA 1000 events, is 14 clear of next-best Simona Halep (186) on the list of women with the most WTA 1000 match wins.
Raducanu stunned by qualifier Carle in Madrid
Maria Lourdes Carle made a splash at the Madrid Open on Wednesday, as the qualifier sent Emma Raducanu packing.
World number 82 Carle stepped into the void to fill in for Karolina Pliskova, who withdrew prior to the end of the qualifying rounds, to face 2021 US Open champion Raducanu.
It is just the second time Carle has reached the main draw of a WTA 1000 event, and she ensured it would be a memorable campaign after a 6-2 6-2 victory over Raducanu, who is now ranked at world number 221, though has enjoyed something of a return to form this season.
Raducanu reached the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart Grand Prix last week, going down to world number one Iga Swiatek, but has recently enjoyed victories over the likes of Angelique Kerber and Caroline Garcia.
Data Debrief
Carle is the first player from Argentina to defeat a former women's singles grand slam Champion since Nadia Podoroska overcame Serena Williams in Rome in 2021.
The 24-year-old is making just her sixth WTA main draw appearance, with her first WTA 1000 appearance having come in Miami in March.
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