Australian Open: Tiafoe Upsets Dimitrov to Reach the Quarters

Frances Tiafoe at Australian Open, day 1. Photo by Juergen Hasenkopf/REX/Shutterstock (10056050ab)

Frances Tiafoe celebrated his 21st birthday with a win over Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Sunday.

The unseeded American withstood Dimitrov’s powerful hits to win the game 7-7, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5 in 3 hours and 39 minutes. Upon the win, the Tiafoe knelt to kiss the court and the crowd began singing the Happy Birthday song for him. To top it off, the Bulgarian came over to congratulate the American.

“It means the world. I worked my ass off,” Tiafoe said. “I told my parents 10 years ago I was going to be a pro and change my life and change their lives. And now I’m in the quarters of a Slam and I can’t believe it.”

Tiafoe’s parents immigrated into the US from Liberia where his dad got a job at a tennis court. 21 years later, the youngster is living up to his promise by playing at the grand stage.

“Obviously, if you guys know anything about me, the story in tennis, it obviously wasn’t a normal tennis story,” he said. The beginning of my career, I was playing for them, trying to do everything for my family. Now I put them in a great place. Now I’m trying to do it for me.”

He posted 63 winners and 54 unforced errors to hold off the Bulgarian and book a match with Rafael Nadal in the quarter finals.