Dark horse Frances Tiafoe thrust into limelight after Rafael Nadal win, Iga Swiatek on song - US Open diary

Big Foe lights up the big stage Early in the tournament, Frances Tiafoe declared there is a “changing of the guard” taking place in men’s tennis, acknowledging that “everyone is beatable, even the top guys”. Ad The 24-year-old American believes the sport can benefit from the arrival of new faces at the top but added that he still wasn’t fully there yet when it comes to upsetting the tennis order, and that he was happy to be flying under the radar. US OpenAlcaraz v Cilic — US Open highlightsAN HOUR AGO “I'm still that dark horse who can do something special,” he said last week after beating Marcos Giron in the opening round.

“I kind of like it that I'm not like in the forefront of that because, you know, let those guys handle the pressure. I'm kind of Court 17, get some cheeky wins.” One week on, it’s fair to say Tiafoe is officially on everyone’s radar after he handed Rafael Nadal his first Grand Slam defeat of the season, triumphing in four sets to reach the US Open quarter-finals for the first time. “Now that's over, man.

I was thinking about that. Now that's over. There's no dark horse anymore,” he said with a grin on Monday.

'I need to fix things' — Nadal hints at break after shock Tiafoe loss Alcaraz edges Cilic in late-night epic to guarantee maiden men’s Grand Slam champion “It's all good. It helped me play well. But even now, I know what I can do, I know what I'm capable of doing these next couple matches if that happens.

“I still feel no pressure. I still feel like I'm not supposed to do anything. I'm just here to play great tennis and enjoy it.