Rafael Nadal conqueror Frances Tiafoe sends 'Big 3' warning after massive upset at US Open 2022

Firing 18 aces and 49 winners against former World No.1 Rafael Nadal on Tuesday, Frances Tiafoe registered a famous win over the four-time US Open champion at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Rising US tennis player Frances Tiafoe pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the 2022 edition of the US Open on Tuesday. The American outclassed former World No.1 Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 phase of the Grand Slam event at the famous Arthur Ashe Stadium. Tiafoe got the better of the four-time champion 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 as the 24-year-old secured his berth for the quarter-finals of the US Open. After confirming the premature exit of the King of Clay on the hard court, Tiafoe has claimed that the younger generation is ready to take over from the 'Big Three'.

Frances Tiafoe celebrates after winning a point against Rafael Nadal(AP)

For the unversed, the Big Three is a common term in tennis for the troika of Roger Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic. With Tiafoe upstaging Nadal in the round of 16 phase of the Grand Slam event, the US Open is set to enter a new era. The US Open event will crown another Grand Slam champion beyond the Big Three of world tennis for the third straight time. Dominic Thiem secured the US Open title in 2020 while Russia's Daniil Medvedev lifted the famous trophy last year.

‘It will be like a big 12’

Reflecting on his stunning win over the Spaniard, Tiafoe said that it's 'cool to see a new era'. "I think Nick (Kyrgios) playing great tennis is great for tennis. You see him packing stadiums when he's playing singles, doubles, whatever. Alcaraz is a great personality. Sinner. Myself. People get behind me. You know the American guys, Tommy (Paul), (Taylor) Fritz. There's a ton of guys playing great tennis. I don't think it will be a big three. It will be like a big 12. There's a bunch of guys playing great tennis," Tiafoe said.

Tiafoe fired 18 aces and 49 winners to complete a famous win over the 22-time Grand Slam champion in 3 hours and 34 minutes. "It's good. For sure you'll probably have someone who probably like will cement and be at the top. That's still kind of happening. We'll see who that person's going to be," he added. Tiafoe will meet Russian ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the US Open 2022 quarter-finals on Wednesday.