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The other quarter-final will see German fourth seed Alex Zverev take on American 12th seed Taylor Fritz, who came from two sets down to beat Zverev in the fourth round at Wimbledon in July.
Double faults became an early problem as Popyrin – the 2017 Roland Garros junior champion who was born in Sydney to Russian parents – tried to take the second set and level the score in a thrilling encounter between friendly rivals.
The 25-year-old weathered the storm from the other end of the court and took three set points to level the scores in the last 16 at one set apiece.
And that's where things started to unravel for Popyrin, weeks after his career-best win at the Masters 1000 in Montreal, and two days after dethroning defending champion Novak Djokovic.
A series of errors of varying degrees of difficulty followed, before Tiafoe hit a backhand winner to send the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd roaring in support of her compatriot.
Two points later, the Australian double-faulted at the net to change the course of the match between the two players. Two weeks later, the tiebreaker came in the second set, where he committed two more double faults, helping him advance to two sets.
It was especially painful, given that Popyrin also had back-to-back break points in the fourth game of the match, while his Dunlop axe was causing all sorts of cuts to Tiafoe.
They traded roles with momentum, but the man known as “The Big Enemy” made them count more often, leaving Popyrin with the formidable challenge of chasing the U.S. champion in front of his home crowd.
The third set was surprisingly uncompetitive for Tiafoe, who dropped serve twice and barely survived another in between, giving Popyrin hope of doing the unthinkable.
This move made way for an exciting fourth set, where every player got their chance again.
Tiafoe had lost 15 of the previous 20 points before collapsing and losing 30-0 in the third game of the set – and Popyrin was determined to go further. Popyrin barely missed a powerful backhand on the next point, but the next shot was the epitome of his night.
After making his way to the top of the point, Popyrin opted for an ill-considered drop shot, which was not only wrong but also poorly executed, giving Tiafoe enough time to chase it down and hit a forehand.
The American managed to get two points later, closing the door on another opportunity for Popyrin.
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After leading 2-3, Popyrin double-faulted to go 30-0 up, then did so again on his second break point of the match to fall behind for good despite a last-minute effort that nearly revived his comeback.
Popyrin won the match with 24 aces and 55 winners to Tiafoe's 14 and 44, but he also committed nine double faults to Tiafoe's one. In a match where the margin was so small, this was one of the most important differences.
Popyrin dropped to No. 63 in the world while prioritizing the Paris Olympics, where he impressed by reaching the last 16, before breaking into the top 25 for the first time thanks to a remarkable run in Montreal that ended with five consecutive top 20 wins, including two over top 10 opponents.
He will return to a career-high ranking of No. 23 next week as a reward for his outstanding performances on the hard courts of the United States, which make him a serious threat at the 2025 Australian Open.
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