American Frances Tiafoe upsets Rafael Nadal in 4th round of US Open
With Serena Williams on the ropes, it was only a matter of time before a woman’s tennis player took down the world’s greatest male star. When it came to the women on the Grand Slam circuit, it was always one of the top seeds that would take down the number one seed, and this time it was the American, Caroline Wozniacki.
And this time it was Caroline Tiafoe, the 20-year-old American who came from the bottom of the draw to upset the world No.1, Rafael Nadal, in the fourth round of the US Open. It was the first time a female player had beaten the world No.1 since 2009.
Caroline Tiafoe, who plays for the USTA Elite League team, did not go in with the same confidence of her compatriot, Caroline Wozniacki, who had played and won on the clay in Madrid and the US Open.
It was only a matter of how to get the better of Nadal. Caroline Tiafoe, who arrived in New York with a huge smile on her face, said that playing Nadal in the fourth round was one of the toughest things she had ever done.
There was no doubt that Caroline Tiafoe was aware that she had to be at her best on clay, and one of her worst days came in her first round match, losing to Anett Kontaveit.
“We’ll see what happens,” she chuckled. “I never did it here.”
She continued: “I don’t know if I could handle being No.1 in the world, but that is one of the best experiences to have because you really want to be No.1, and I have a lot of respect for Rafa,” she revealed.
But the first-round loss came to a close, and Caroline Tiafoe’s match began the hard-hitting routine of the American Open. She was on the top of her game with a forehand, a backhand and a volley. Nadal was not there to call on his devastating forehand, and when he played her on her forehand
