Frances Tiafoe recorded the biggest win of his career Monday in a stunning fourth-round upset of Rafael Nadal at the U.S. Open, defeating the 22-time Grand Slam champion 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3.
In addition to reaching just his second career major quarterfinal, Tiafoe, the world’s No. 26-ranked player, shockingly ended the 36-year-old Spaniard’s 22-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments. The 24-year-old College Park, Maryland native is also the first American to beat Nadal in a major since James Blake in 2005, and the youngest American man to reach a U.S. Open quarterfinal since Andy Roddick in ’06.
Tiafoe’s explosive win, coupled with his emotional celebration post-match, gave tennis fans around the world one of the most memorable moments in the tournament’s history and drew a number of reactions on social media. LeBron James, Bradley Beal and the NBA’s Wizards and WNBA’s Mystics, two of Tiafoe’s hometown teams were among those who weighed in on the historic moment. The Wizards star is one of Tiafoe’s favorite players and was in attendance Monday to cheer him on.
Check below for some of the best reactions to Tiafoe’s milestone achievement:
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