American Frances Tiafoe upsets Rafael Nadal in 4th round of US Open

By Jacob Lev, CNN

Updated 0529 GMT (1329 HKT) September 6, 2022

Frances Tiafoe reacts during his 2022 US Open Tennis tournament Round of 16 match against Spain's Rafael Nadal.

(CNN)Twenty-two-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal was upset in the fourth round of the US Open on Monday by American Frances Tiafoe at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York.

In a match that lasted more than 3 hours and 30 minutes, the Maryland native defeated Nadal6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Tiafoe, 24, is the youngest American man to get this far in the US Open since a then-24-year-old Andy Roddick was a finalist in 2006.«It was definitely one hell of a performance,» he said following the match. «I played really well today. Yeah, I guess, I mean, I just came out there and I just believed I could do it. It helps I played him a couple times.»Earlier in the tournament, Tiafoe said he was happy to be going mostly unnoticed. Read MoreFrances Tiafoe unites tennis stars in protest but feels some people don't want black players to succeedAfter his win Monday, he expressed joy for what his victory against Nadal meant to his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Sierra Leone. «I just had a big passion for the game. Not even mainly for me, but to do it for them. To see them experience me beat Rafa Nadal, they've seen me have big wins, but to beat those Mount Rushmore guys, for them, I can't imagine what was going through their heads.»Yeah, I mean, they're going to remember today for the rest of their lives."Nadal, 36, recorded his first loss in a grand slam event this year and is now 22-1 this season. The Spaniard won the Australian Open and French Open before withdrawing from Wimbledon in July before his scheduled semifinal showdown with