Frances Tiafoe’s feel-good run in the Australian Open is over.
The Maryland product was soundly defeated Tuesday against Rafael Nadal in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 loss. If Tiafoe had won, he would have advanced to the Open semifinals.
Still, this was the further Tiafoe has reached in a Grand Slam. Along the way, he upset two-time Slam runner-up Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov to reach the quarterfinals.
The 21-year-old’s play even was noticed by LeBron James after Tiafoe invoked the NBA star’s signature celebrations during the course of his matches.
James commented with two bicep emojis under an ESPN Instagram post that compared the celebrations.
Nadal, who has won 17 Grand Slam events, will move on to face Stefanos Tsitipas.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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