Ignoring the hype, golf lover Alexei Popyrin is sticking stubbornly to his "stay in the now" mantra as Australia's emerging star continues his audacious quest for US Open glory.
Ranked outside the top 50 a month ago and never before having ventured beyond the third round of a grand slam, Popyrin is being branded the new "Wizard of Oz" after slaying Novak Djokovic in one of tennis's colossal upsets.
With Djokovic joining reigning French Open and Wimbedon champion Carlos Alcaraz on the Open scrapheap, Popyrin has earned himself a serious opportunity to go deep in New York.
