In what will go down as one of the best wins in Australian tennis history, Alexei Popyrin is still coming to terms with what just occurred on Arthur Ashe Stadium - defeating defending US Open champion Novak Djokovic.
The narrative coming into the match was the pair's previous two meetings at Grand Slam events this year at the Australian Open and Wimbledon - pointing to Popyrin being able to clinch one set in each of those tussles.
As the dust settled on a famous night for the 28th seed, Popyrin told the media after the match that although it wasn't his best level, he was determined not to waste the opportunity.
"It was a pretty solid match from my side. The last two times I played him I didn't take my chances and today I did," he said.
"It wasn't the highest level I've ever played. I've felt way better than I've felt today. But the way I composed myself today was surely one of the best matches of my life.
"He came back from two sets down so many times in his life and I didn't wanna be one of those [players]."
The win isn't the only time Popyrin has shocked the tennis world this month. Nearly three weeks ago, he became the first Australian in 21 years to claim a Masters 1000 title - the biggest trophy of his career in Canada.
When asked if toppling Djokovic surpassed that achievement, Popyrin provided his thoughts.
“For me, winning Montreal was way bigger than today, just because it's a title, and it's a Masters 1000 title," the 25-year-old admitted. "That felt unbelievable. Today was something that I kind of thought I could do, you know? Winning a Masters 1000 was not something that kind of crossed my head.
"But my two experiences against him earlier this year in Australian Open and Wimbledon kind of gave me the confidence to go out there tonight and believe that I could win and actually do it and believe it.
"So when I did it, it kind of felt that proved me right, proved what I was thinking right. It wasn't something that was unbelievable like Montreal for example.”
Popyrin will face 20th seed and 2022 US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe on Monday AEST for a shot at a quarter-final berth.
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