Nick Kyrgios claims all tournaments other than grand slams are a "waste of time" following his US Open quarter-final exit to Karen Khachanov on Tuesday.

The in-form 2022 Wimbledon runner-up's run at Flushing Meadows, which included knocking out defending champion Daniil Medvedev, was ended by Khachanov 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4.

Kyrgios had been in career-best form, winning more matches than any other player on the ATP Tour since his Wimbledon final defeat to Novak Djokovic, but will need to wait until January for another crack at a major, at his home Australian Open.

The 27-year-old has spoken about his renewed level of focus since reaching the Wimbledon final and said he was "devastated" by his US Open loss, smashing a racquet after the match.

"I honestly feel like s***," he said. "I feel like I've let so many people down.

"I feel like these four tournaments are the only ones that are ever going to matter. It's just like you got to start it all again. I have to wait until the Australian Open. It's just devastating. It's heart-breaking.

"I don't even really care about any other tournament. I feel like at the grand slams, now having success at a grand slam, it's just like no other tournament really matters.

"It's like you get better, you get worse, then at a grand slam none of it matters. You either win or lose. People don't really care if you got better on the day or you lost 6-4 in the fifth or played one of the best matches of the tournament. You lost.

"That's all people remember at a grand slam, whether you win or you lose. I think pretty much every other tournament during the year is a waste of time really. You should just run up and show up at a grand slam. That's what you're remembered by."

Kyrgios allayed concerns over a knee injury at the end of the first set that he said settled, stating that he started "flat" and felt Khachanov's serve was too good, particularly in key moments.

"All credit to Karen, he's a fighter. He's a warrior," he said.

"I thought he served really good today. Honestly probably the best server I played this tournament, to be honest, the way he was hitting his spots under pressure."

The triumph marks 29th seed Khachanov's first major semi-final having fallen in the quarter-finals at majors twice previously.

"It's like one more step forward," the Russian said. "I'm really, really happy I could do it.

"I had to face and to beat Nick, who is playing some of the best tennis again. It obviously was a tough match to approach. I made my first semi-final, so it's pretty simple in my head. I'm just really happy."

Karen Khachanov reached a grand slam semi-final for the first time as he ended Nick Kyrgios' US Open run in a five-set three-and-a-half-hour epic on Tuesday evening.

The 27th-seeded Russian, who had fallen in the quarters at the 2019 French Open and 2021 Wimbledon Championships, prevailed 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 over the Australian 23rd seed to set up a semi-final date with fifth seed Casper Ruud.

The result ended the run of Kyrgios who had won the most matches on the ATP Tour since losing July's Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic. Kyrgios had taken out reigning champion and top seed Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round.

The 26-year-old Russian broke Kyrgios' serve in the 12th game of the first set with an exquisite lob clinching the frame where the Australian's second serve let him down.

Kyrgios responded to win the second set, despite a medical timeout for treatment on his left leg after exclaiming "I can't walk", breaking the Russian early and hitting 12-5 winners.

Khachanov claimed the third set in similar circumstances to the first, with Kyrgios failing to hold his serve in the 12th game, this time producing unforced errors in the key moments.

The two players traded breaks early in the fourth set but Kyrgios would force a fifth set after a dominant tie-break where he converted his second set point.

The Russian got an early break in the fifth set, while Kyrgios failed to convert break points in Khachanov's next two service games and he would not recover.

Data Slam: Khachanov cool under pressure

Little split these two players in an extremely tight quarter-final, with 31-30 aces edged by Kyrgios, but many of Khachanov's came at crucial moments under pressure.

Kyrgios' flamboyance and shot-making ability was on show, but his inability to convert break points, along with 58 unforced errors, ultimately proved the difference, taking two of nine.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Kyrgios – 31/5
Khachanov – 30/3

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Kyrgios – 75/58
Khachanov – 62/31

BREAK POINTS WON

Kyrgios – 2/9
Khachanov – 4/8

Karen Khachanov reached a grand slam semi-final for the first time as he ended Nick Kyrgios' US Open run in a five-set three-and-a-half-hour epic on Tuesday evening.

The 27th-seeded Russian, who had fallen in the quarters at the 2019 French Open and 2021 Wimbledon Championships, prevailed 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 over the Australian 23rd seed.

The result ended the run of Kyrgios who had won the most matches on the ATP Tour since losing July's Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic. Kyrgios had taken out reigning champion and top seed Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round.

The 26-year-old Russian broke Kyrgios' serve in the 12th game of the first set with an exquisite lob clinching the frame where the Australian's second serve let him down.

Kyrgios responded to win the second set, despite a medical timeout for treatment on his left leg after exclaiming "I can't walk", breaking the Russian early and hitting 12-5 winners.

Khachanov claimed the third set in similar circumstances to the first, with Kyrgios failing to hold his serve in the 12th game, this time producing unforced errors in the key moments.

The two players traded breaks early in the fourth set but Kyrgios would force a fifth set after a dominant tie-break where he converted his second set point.

The Russian got an early break in the fifth set, while Kyrgios failed to convert break points in Khachanov's next two service games and he would not recover.

Data Slam: Khachanov cool under pressure

Little split these two players in an extremely tight quarter-final, with 31-30 aces edged by Kyrgios, but many of Khachanov's came at crucial moments under pressure.

Kyrgios' flamboyance and shot-making ability was on show, but his inability to convert break points, along with 58 unforced errors, ultimately proved the difference, taking two of nine.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Kyrgios – 31/5
Khachanov – 30/3

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Kyrgios – 75/58
Khachanov – 62/31

BREAK POINTS WON

Kyrgios – 2/9
Khachanov – 4/8

After once being considered one of the top young prospects in all of tennis, Caroline Garcia says she feels like she is finally prepared to handle everything that is required to deliver on the biggest stages.

In her toughest matchup of the tournament so far, the Frenchwoman was emphatic as she comfortably handled rising star Coco Gauff 6-3 6-4 in Tuesday's quarter-final.

Garcia, 28, shot onto the international stage when she was impressive before ultimately losing to Maria Sharapova back in 2011 when she was just 17 years old.

At the time, Andy Murray tweeted that she would be a future world number one, and she appeared to be on that path when she peaked at fourth in the world in 2018, before a couple of rough years had her residing outside of the top 50.

Now in career-best form, Garcia has 31 wins from her past 35 matches, including 13 wins in a row and six straight-sets victories on the trot.

Speaking to the media after her quarter-final triumph, Garcia said the long, winding journey to this point has only given her valuable experience.

"When it was 2011 after the Sharapova match, it was a lot of pressure coming from actually nowhere," she said. "I was 150, 200 in the world, 17 years old. My game was not ready. 

"I was not able to play that consistent, this kind of level. The weeks after I went back trying to play the same level, but it was not possible for me.

"It was tough because people were expecting a lot. But the game, I was not ready for anything like that. It took me some time to come step-by-step to the top.

"End of 2017, 2018 was a great year, a lot of success. Yeah, I made some mistakes. We made some mistakes. I really hope and think we can learn from it.

"Now, it's a new year, trying to learn from every challenge. I think I've grown up a lot with all the challenges on and off court. Off court, it's very important to manage all of it."

Touching on what has clicked in her recent run, Garcia said she has figured out what works for her, which has simplified everything.

"I'm just trying to focus on my game, on what I like to do, and how is the best way for me to play tennis," she said.

"The path is very clear right now, which direction I have to go, under stress, under pressure. I'm just trying to follow this path. That's how we prepare with the team. We try to do the best we can in this direction.

"It was not that clear in the past. It was not that clear. I mean, I've always been very aggressive. I always try to put the pressure on the other one to be on the court.

"But I was younger… and now [I can] accept that it's actually the only way for me. So if I want to do good, I have to go that way. Yeah, now it's way more clear.

"Obviously with a lot of wins, I'm having fun playing. I can see so many things I can still improve, so it's a great challenge for our team."

Garcia will play world number five Ons Jabeur in the semi-final, with Jabeur winning both of their two previous matches since turning professional.

Ons Jabeur believes she can win a major title following her Wimbledon run to the final, having clinched a spot in the US Open semi-final with a straight-sets victory over Ajla Tomljanovic on Tuesday.

The world number five secured her spot in the last four in one hour and 41 minutes, winning 6-4 7-6 (7-4), having trailed 5-3 in the second set.

The win was Jabeur's 43rd this season, trailing only world number one Iga Swiatek, and comes after she lost to Elena Rybakina in July's Wimbledon decider, fueling her belief that she can secure a breakthrough grand slam title.

"I believe in myself after Wimbledon," Jabeur said during her an on-court interview. "I know that I have it in me to win a [major] final. And here I am in the semi-finals."

Jabeur had reached the quarterfinals at the 2020 Australian Open and 2021 Wimbledon Championships, with her recent runner-up finish proving a breakthrough.

"I think the fact that I broke that barrier of being in the quarterfinals all the time, that did help with my confidence," she said.

"Knowing that I could make finals in grand slams really helped my game, just trying to build that experience to go into second weeks in grand slams.

"It was very tough coming here, you know, just the hard court season like wasn't that great for me. So I was trying to build more and more confidence on hard courts.

"Wimbledon helped a lot, for sure."

The 28-year-old Tunisian has made history several times, the latest being becoming the first African or Arab woman in the Open Era to reach the US Open semifinals.

On a personal level, she has now also reached the second week in all four major tournaments.

"I’m just trying to do my job here, hopefully I inspire more and more generations from Africa," Jabeur said. "It really means a lot to me."

Ons Jabeur advanced through to her first US Open semi-final after defeating the in-form Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4 7-6 (7-4) on Tuesday.

Jabeur, the world number five, became the first woman from Africa to make the last four at Flushing Meadows after a powerful display in the quarter-finals accounted for an opponent who has belatedly started to pose problems at grand slams.

Continuing a strong season of her own, in which she played a first major final at Wimbledon, Jabeur broke twice in the opening set as Tomljanovic failed to fully capitalise on her wayward serving, instead getting in her own way with four double-faults to no aces.

It meant the Tunisian threatened to run away with the match when she secured another break in the first game of the second set, but Tomljanovic fought back in what developed into a back-and-forth struggle, with six breaks of serve split evenly through the first nine games.

Although that theme initially continued in the tie-break, with the first four points all going against the serve, Jabeur finally found some big serves when it mattered most to finish the job.

A semi-final against either Coco Gauff or Caroline Garcia now lies before Jabeur, who had not previously gone beyond the third round in New York.

Data Slam: Jabeur powers through

Jabeur lacked accuracy with her serve – landing 40 per cent of her first serves across the match – but was dominant when she was able to keep it fair, converting nine of her 11 accurate first serves in the opener to illustrate the significant power gap between the two women.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Jabeur – 4/2
Tomljanovic – 1/9

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Jabeur – 29/30
Tomljanovic – 12/24

BREAK POINTS WON

Jabeur – 5/6
Tomljanovic – 4/6

Casper Ruud booked his place in the semi-finals of the US Open with a 6-1 6-4 7-6 (7-4) defeat of Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday.

Ruud was at the top of his game in the opening two sets, taking the first inside half an hour, but Berrettini made a contest of the third.

Indeed, the Italian at one stage had two set points, having taken a 5-2 advantage.

Yet Ruud, who did not require a single ace in this match, clawed both back to hold his serve and immediately broke to swing the momentum in his favour once more.

Berrettini had failed to execute two routine drop-shots as he conceded serve and never regained his composure, with Ruud forcing the tie-break.

It was then that the world number seven got back on top form, racing into a 3-0 lead and, despite a wobble that saw two match points fall by the wayside, holding his nerve to seal the win at the third attempt.

Into his first US Open semi-final – and his second at a grand slam following a run to the final at Roland Garros this year – Ruud, who along with Carlos Alcaraz has a chance of becoming the new world number one, will face either Nick Kyrgios or Karen Khachanov in the last four.

Data Slam: Berrettini's top-10 hoodoo

Berrettini was aiming to reach his fourth grand slam semi-final and a second at Flushing Meadows, yet his record against top-10 opponents is a poor one, and it did not change for the better in New York.

He is now 7-19 for his career against opponents ranked inside the top 10 by the ATP, while he has lost his last 11 such matches since defeating Dominic Thiem – then ranked number three – at the 2021 ATP Cup. Berrettini has never defeated a top-10 opponent in a grand slam (0-8).

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Ruud – 0/2
Berrettini – 13/3

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Ruud – 20/23
Berrettini – 35/39

BREAK POINTS WON

Ruud – 5/14
Berrettini – 2/9

The career of Carlos Alcaraz could be one that takes up a great deal of space in the record books, and he is getting started early.

Not yet old enough to buy a stiff drink in a New York bar, the 19-year-old was the toast of Flushing Meadows after a late-night win over Marin Cilic that ran into the early hours of Tuesday.

That five-set win against the 2014 champion, combined with the shock exit of Rafael Nadal at Frances Tiafoe's hands, has raised expectations that Alcaraz could scoop a first grand slam title on Sunday.

Should he land that breakthrough major, there will be another feather in his cap, making Alcaraz the youngest world number one since the ATP rankings were established in 1973, and the first teenager to hold down top spot. He has climbed from 32nd at the start of the year to his current position of fourth on the list.

Nadal is poised to go to number one, which he last held in February 2020, unless Alcaraz or 23-year-old Norwegian Casper Ruud reach the title match. They are the only two players remaining in the draw who can clamber to the top ranking, which Daniil Medvedev will relinquish after his fourth-round exit to Nick Kyrgios.

If both reach the final, the champion will go to number one.

In the city that never sleeps, Alcaraz completed a 6-4 3-6 6-4 4-6 6-3 win over Croatian Cilic at 02:23 local time, three minutes short of matching the latest finish in US Open history, shared jointly by three matches: Mats Wilander vs Mikael Pernfors (1993), John Isner v Philipp Kohlschreiber (2012), Kei Nishikori v Milos Raonic (2014).

The victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium made Alcaraz the youngest man to reach back-to-back US Open quarter-finals since Australians Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall both achieved the feat before turning 19 in 1953. It was called the US Championships in that era.

Alcaraz has won a tour-leading 48 matches in 2022 and has become the youngest man to reach three grand slam quarter-finals since Michael Chang over 30 years ago.

However, he next faces a player making his own history.

Alcaraz's quarter-final opponent is a recent nemesis: Jannik Sinner, the 21-year-old Italian who beat him in round four at Wimbledon and again in the final of the clay-court event in Umag, Croatia, at the end of July.

"I played a couple of times against him," Alcaraz said. "He's a great player, really tough one. I lost twice in two months [to him] so I will have to be ready for this battle against Jannik."

There is a victory that Alcaraz could point to, having defeated Sinner on an indoor hard court at the Paris Masters last November, but they have never played on an outdoor hard court, which is where they will do battle on Wednesday.

Sinner has now reached the quarter-final stage of all four majors, becoming the youngest man to pull off that feat since a 20-year-old Novak Djokovic completed the set in 2008.

The last-eight duel with Alcaraz could be a sizzling clash, albeit Alcaraz and Sinner had some recharging to do on Tuesday after both were pushed to five sets in round four, in Sinner's case by Ilya Ivashka of Belarus. Alcaraz now has a 6-1 win-loss record in five-set matches.

Nobody remaining in the men's quarter-finals has a slam title to their name, and Alcaraz will hope he continues to have the backing of the crowd in Queens.

He said after fending off Cilic: "Of course, the support today in Arthur Ashe was crazy. After losing the fourth set, it was tough for me to come back in the fifth set, to stay strong mentally. But the energy I received today made me win."

Rafael Nadal's loss to Frances Tiafoe opened up a host of possibilities including a first-time world number one and maiden grand slam winner as the top three's domination of men's singles continues to weaken.

World number three Nadal bowed out in the fourth round to 22nd seed Tiafoe 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3 on Monday, while third seed Alcaraz triumphed over Marin Cilic 6-4 3-6 6-4 4-6 6-3 in a match that went to almost 2:30am local time.

Cilic was the last remaining male player with a grand slam title to his name, meaning this year's US Open will bring a new major champion.

There may also be a first-time world number one too, with Alcaraz guaranteed to claim the top rank if he wins the US Open title.

Fifth seed Casper Ruud will rise to world number one if he lifts the US Open crown at Flushing Meadows on September 11 too.

If both fall short of the final, Nadal will reclaim the top ranking from 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who lost in the fourth round to Nick Kyrgios.

Alcaraz could also scale the rankings summit should he reach the final, assuming Ruud misses out.

Aryna Sabalenka believes she is ready for the challenge of Karolina Pliskova in the quarter-finals after losing both of their meetings in 2021, saying she knows what to expect this time around.

Sabalenka defeated Danielle Collins 3-6 6-3 6-2 on Monday, with the world number six coming from a set behind to collect her seventh win from her past eight matches.

With Pliskova getting the better of Sabalenka's Belarusian compatriot Victoria Azarenka 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-2, it sets up the fifth career meeting between the pair, with their head-to-head record split at two wins apiece.

Sabalenka won both meetings in 2018, but after years without a match against each other, Pliskova flipped the script in 2021 with wins in Montreal and at Wimbledon.

Speaking to the media after her fourth round win, Sabalenka said she was caught by surprise at how much Pliskova had improved in the years between their matches, and how that will not be the case this time around.

"To be honest, on those matches, the first matches I won against her, I was an upcoming player," she said. "I was lower in the ranking, I was respecting every top player. I was kind of expecting a great level from them.

"Then, in the last two matches last year, I was in the top. Every time she was making me move, every time she was making winners, I was like, what's going on? How is it possible? Oh, my God, she is making winners.

"I want to say that I wasn't kind of really respecting her. Right now I really expect great level from her. 

"It's going to be tough. Every time she will make some winners, it's not going to be pissing me off, it's going to be like, okay, it's normal, she's making it, what next?"

Meanwhile, Pliskova believes she is playing her best tennis of the season at the moment after advancing to the quarter-finals for the second straight year, having lost to Maria Sakkari at Flushing Meadows in 2021.

She told the media after defeating Azarenka that it may have been her best performance of the year – and maybe even longer.

"I think this was one of the best matches this year, from my side," she said. "I think also from her. I thought the level of the tennis was quite good for all three sets.

"Maybe in the third set, maybe she started to drop it a little bit. Of course, it was understandable because physically it was also quite tough. We had long rallies, long points, long games.

"But quite happy with my level. I think I'm playing quite good tennis now, maybe even better than last year here."

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."

Rafael Nadal was frustrated by his performance when speaking with the media after his upset loss against Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round, admitting "he was better than me".

Nadal only allowed two total break point opportunities from the first three sets, but he was unable to save either, leading to Tiafoe taking the first and third frames. 

The all-time leader in men's grand slams then was uncharacteristically shaky in the fourth, committing four double faults and more unforced errors (nine) than winners (seven).

While reporters questioned if it was the oppressive humidity, injuries, or even the distraction of the roof closing mid-match, Nadal made it clear his poor performance had a much simpler explanation.

"Well, the difference is easy," he said. "I played a bad match and he played a good match. At the end that's it, no?

"I was not able to hold a high level of tennis for a long time. I was not quick enough on my movements. He was able to take the ball too many times very early, so I was not able to push him back.

"Tennis is a sport of position a lot of times – if not, you need to be very, very quick and very young. I am not in that moment anymore.

"My shots need to be better. In some way my understanding of the game and the quality of my shots were not good enough. They were poor, I think I have to say today, because I was not able to create that much on him.

"Well done for him. He was better than me."

With the last grand slam of the year now in the books for Nadal, he said he will take some time away to recuperate, but was non-committal about when he may return.

"I need to go back [home], I need to fix things, life," he said. "Then I don't know when I'm going to come back. 

"I'm going to try to be ready mentally. When I feel that I will be ready to compete again, I will be there."

After defeating Julie Niemeier in a less than inspiring showing, Iga Swiatek feels the race for the US Open title is wide open, and any of the women remaining in the quarter-finals can go all the way

In an uncharacteristic opening set from the world number one, Swiatek had her serve broken in the very first game, and conceded another break to drop the frame 6-2.

She fought back in the second as they traded breaks of serve, with only three successful holds from 10 games as Swiatek took it 6-4, before really finding her groove in the third to run away with a 6-0 finish.

It was her 19th 'bagel' set of the season, with only Serena Williams in 2013 (25) posting more 6-0 sets in a single year since 2000.

When asked about that record, Swiatek said she is aware of it, and that she enjoys Twitter memes referring to "Iga Swiatek's Bakery", although she did not wish to discuss any potential records.

Instead, she discussed the work she has been putting in on the hard courts, having never made the US Open quarter-final before this run.

"For sure, hard court is our goal at the beginning of the season, not the end of the season," she said. "Also we're mainly practicing on hard court pre-season. 

"These are the courts that basically are going to show me where my level of tennis is.

"I played too many matches this year to get, like, huge excitement honestly. But for sure today I'm the most excited because the quarter-final is my best result right now. 

"I'm just happy that I did a better job than last year and I'm going to push forward."

Swiatek was complimentary about her next opponent, Jessica Pegula, admitting "she has a game style that suits these courts", but she pointed out how many emerging players are on the tour at the moment and how it may simply come down to who can handle the big moments.

"I guess it's going to show who's going to cope with being in a new situation better," she said.

"But I think it's just exciting for all of us. It also shows that anything can happen, and anybody can win this tournament."

Frances Tiafoe produced a stunning performance to knock Rafael Nadal out of the US Open and reach the quarter-finals of his home grand slam for the first time.

Tiafoe was playing in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the third successive year, but his prospects of going beyond that point appeared slim against the 22-time grand slam champion.

Nadal had won his two previous encounters with Tiafoe but found the 24-year-old up to the challenge this time around, his firepower proving too much for his illustrious opponent.

So often Nadal has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and there were moments during his epic that he seemed primed to do so again. Yet winning the second set and breaking at the start of the fourth both proved false dawns for Nadal, as Tiafoe prevailed 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3 to blow a men's draw that has already lost 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev wide open.

It became clear early on that the pace of Tiafoe's ball-striking and the variety in his game would cause Nadal problems and he got the break his play deserved when the Spaniard sent a pair of forehands long in the seventh game.

Tiafoe rarely looked daunted by the occasion and though he let a pair of set points go begging after going 40-0 up at 5-4, he snatched the third with a volley to ensure Nadal would have to mount a comeback.

A classic Nadal turnaround appeared very much on the cards when Tiafoe's composure deserted him trailing 5-4 on serve in the second, a double fault from the American allowing Nadal to level the match.

But any thought of Nadal, curiously unable to make an impression on Tiafoe's second serve, dominating from there was soon extinguished, Tiafoe breaking for a 4-3 lead in the third with a searing backhand down the line.

Tiafoe consolidated with an intelligent serve and volley play on his second serve and, after a Nadal hold, made no mistake in winning the third set on his racquet with an ace.

Controversy soon followed as Nadal broke a furious Tiafoe with a vicious forehand in a game played as the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof was closing.

Tiafoe received a code violation for "audible obscenity" after venting his frustration at that decision by the tournament officials, but he harnessed his anger in the right way. Nadal sent down a pair of double faults in an uncharacteristically sloppy service game and Tiafoe capitalised with a cross-court backhand that proved too hot for the four-time champion to handle.

A backhand error from Nadal gave Tiafoe another break for a 4-3, and he subsequently raced to the finish line, getting 40-0 on Nadal's serve and then completing the fairytale with on his second match point as Nadal sent another backhand into the net.

Data Slam: Tiafoe hands Nadal first grand slam loss of 2022

After winning both the Australian Open and the French Open, and withdrawing from Wimbledon due to injury, this is Nadal's first loss at a grand slam this year.

Tiafoe also joins James Blake and Andy Roddick as the only Americans to ever defeat Nadal at a grand slam, and it snaps Nadal's streak of 16 consecutive grand slam quarter-final appearances.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Tiafoe – 18/4

Nadal – 9/9

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Tiafoe – 48/28

Nadal – 33/26

BREAK POINTS WON

Tiafoe – 5/8

Nadal – 2/6