American Guaranteed Spot in US Open Final as Tiafoe and Fritz Clash in Semis

For the first time since 2006, an American is guaranteed a spot in the men’s final of the US Open. Frances Tiafoe has set up a much-anticipated semi-final against fellow American Taylor Fritz, ensuring that a home player will compete for the title.

Taylor Fritz secured his place in the semi-final by defeating the fourth seed, Alexander Zverev, in a hard-fought quarter-final match. Hours later, Frances Tiafoe followed suit by overcoming an injured Grigor Dimitrov, with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 4-1. Unfortunately, Dimitrov had to retire from the match after sustaining an injury towards the end of the third set, which left him barely able to move in the fourth.

Dimitrov expressed his disappointment with the outcome but acknowledged that his overall fitness is his top priority. He explained, “I think it’s a combination of everything. My rehab process is a little slower than before, and I felt a couple of things before the match. I have enough experience to know when it’s time to stop, and today was one of those times. I don’t like it, but that’s the reality.”

With Fritz and Tiafoe set to face off on Friday night, it guarantees that an American will be in the US Open men’s final for the first time since Andy Roddick faced Roger Federer 18 years ago. This will also be the first all-American semi-final in a men’s Grand Slam since 2005.

The prospect of a homegrown champion in New York is tantalizing, with Tiafoe reflecting on his quarter-final win: “It’s not the way I wanted to get through, but I’m happy to be in another semi-final here. It was a high-level match, and I felt good in the third set, but I didn’t want it to end like that.”

Looking ahead to the semi-final, Tiafoe described it as the “biggest” match of both his and Fritz’s careers. “We’ve known each other for so long, playing against each other since we were 14. To face him here, in the biggest arena, in one of the biggest matches in the world, is going to be awesome. I can’t be more excited, and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”

Earlier in the day, Fritz ended his quarter-final jinx by reaching the last four for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old American had previously lost all four of his quarter-final appearances in Grand Slams but finally broke through on home soil, defeating Zverev 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I feel amazing. I’ve had a lot of looks at quarter-finals over the last few years, and today just felt different,” Fritz said. “I really felt like it was my time to go a step further. It’s only fitting I’m doing it here at the Open, in front of this crowd.”

Reflecting on his performance, Fritz noted the experience he has gained from past quarter-final losses. “Every time I lost in a quarter-final, I was asked, ‘What’s it going to take to go further?’ My answer was always the same: keep putting myself in these situations, and I’ll become more comfortable and get better. That’s what happened today. The quarter-finals didn’t feel like a big deal to me anymore; it just felt like another tournament.”

For Zverev, the loss was a bitter disappointment as he continues his quest for a first Grand Slam title. The German, who was a US Open finalist in 2020, was blunt in his assessment of his performance: “I played terrible. Terrible. Just absolutely terrible. I have no words for it, to be honest.”

As Tiafoe and Fritz prepare to face off in what promises to be an electrifying semi-final, American tennis fans can look forward to the possibility of a homegrown champion in New York for the first time in over two decades.