Incredible scenes unfolded on Arthur Ashe Stadium as Australia's Alexei Popyrin caused a giant upset against four-time US Open winner Novak Djokovic in the third round.
The pair had recently met at this year's Australian Open and Wimbledon, with Popyrin managing to secure one set in each contest.
But the 25-year-old arrived at Flushing Meadows playing the best tennis of his career having clinched the Montreal Masters title 18 days ago, helping him achieve a career-high ranking of No.23 and ensure a top-32 seed for the US Open.
In the early stages, it was clear that Popyrin felt he belonged on the big stage, oozing with confidence and staying composed to show Djokovic that this wasn't going to be the equivalent of a walk in Central Park.
The Aussie survived the first test in impressive fashion to fend off five break points, down 0-40 at one stage, demonstrating his improved mentality in pressure point scenarios to old for 3-3.
Three games later, Popyrin increased his level and was rewarded with the first break of the night, clinching the opening set in the following game against the 24-time Grand Slam champion - just as he did two months ago at Wimbledon.
Despite playing nowhere near his best tennis and evidently struggling to cope with Popyrin's power and intensity, there was no visible emotion from Djokovic for a player who looked lacklustre and off the pace.
The polar opposite could be said for the man from Sydney, constantly turning to his support team and displaying positive body language.
There was a slight scare in the latter stages of the second set when Popyrin appeared to move gingerly after holding his ankle on the change of ends - deciding not to call for the physio moments before serving for a two-set lead.
That didn't derail him from moving within one set of a famous victory, holding to 15 to cause shockwaves around centre court as the crowd could sense another tournament upset.
The night before, one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history eventuated when Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp produced an unbelievable straight-sets boilover against 2022 US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz.
An extended break after the completion of set two favoured Djokovic to regroup and find his rhythm, converting his first break point chance since the five missed opportunities in the opening set.
A 3-0 lead almost disappeared when Popyrin went into lockdown mode to break back, only for Djokovic to do what champions do and immediately find an answer - claiming three straight games which brought the crowd on their feet and sent the match to a fourth.
Popyrin broke a run of conceding eight consecutive points at the beginning of the fourth set, but cheap errors and costly mistakes were slowly piling up and taking a toll, before steadying the ship for a crucial hold of serve as the Aussie No.2 let out an almighty roar in the direction of his box.
Four deuces and four break point chances later, Popyrin hit what had to be one of the best forehands of his life, blasting a winner past the Serbian which led to an epic celebration - fully aware of the finishing line in sight with a 3-2 lead.
Up a double break at 5-2, the Australian hopeful was understandably tight and feeling the nerves as the defending champion pegged one of the breaks back, only for it to be too little too late.
Having lost two previous four-setters against Djokovic this year at Grand Slam level, it was Popyrin who gained revenge with a classic four-set triumph of his own to take it 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 lasting three hours and 20 minutes.
"It's unbelievable because I've been in the third round about 15 times in my career, but I haven't been able to get past to the fourth round," Popyrin said during the on-court interview. "To be able to do it against the greatest of all time is unbelievable. It's a great feeling and the hard work has paid off."
In what is undoubtedly Popyrin's biggest victory of his career, the Aussie Olympian will play 20th seed Frances Tiafoe, who survived a five-set marathon earlier in the day against American compatriot Ben Shelton.
Popyrin becomes the first Australian to defeat Djokovic at a Grand Slam since Lleyton Hewitt at the 2006 US Open.
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