Thanks to the combined efforts of Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz, an American will reach the final of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2009.
Tiafoe and Fritz both did it Tuesday, with the former defeating No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov and the latter toppling No. 4 Alexander Zverev. Their victories set up an All-American semifinal, and the first time since 2005 that two American men have appeared in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows.
No American has reached a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick’s dramatic defeat to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.
Frances Tiafoe stays warm against Grigor Dimitrov
Tiafoe played the final match of the evening and had a clear advantage over the experienced Dimitrov for most of the evening, apart from some sloppy tennis to end the second set, winning 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 4-1, with Dimitrov withdrawing with a hamstring injury.
The big problem for Dimitrov was a bloodless second serve, losing 37 of 59 points and making 11 double faults with a predictable offer that Tiafoe, a power player, relishes.
Dimitrov’s condition deteriorated as the match progressed, he sought medical attention after the third set and eventually retired with Tiafoe a break ahead in the fourth.
It will be Tiafoe’s second time reaching the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, having already reached there in 2022 at the US Open. However, he will have to beat a good friend and former doubles partner to reach the final.
Taylor Fritz earned his surprise against Alexander Zverev
Fritz won a tiebreak in the first set, but then recovered from a second-set loss to win the day’s second quarter-final 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Fritz’s victory over Zverev was a close battle from the start, as neither player gave up a break in the first set. Fritz had a chance to break for the set, but Zverev fought back from three break points to level the set at 6-6. Fritz won the tiebreak, setting the stage for the surprise victory.
Zverev responded with the first break of the match to take a 5–3 lead in the second, and then won the set on his serve. The players traded breaks in the third set before Fritz secured the set on Zverev’s serve. As in the first set, Zverev recovered from a triple set point to level the deciding game. But Fritz won on his fifth set point to take a 2–1 lead in the match.
The players then traded breaks again in the fourth period to set up another tiebreak. This time Fritz won again 7-3, winning the set and the match.
“I’ve been watching quarterfinals for the last few years,” Fritz told ESPN after the match. “Today just felt different. I really felt like it was my time to step up.”
Fritz reaches a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time in his career. He will face the winner of Tuesday’s primetime match between 20th-seeded Tiafoe and 9th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria). If Tiafoe wins, an American is assured of a spot in the final. Top-seeded Jannik Sinner is the favorite to advance from the other half of the bracket.
In the women’s event, 13th-seeded Emma Navarro came back from a 5-1 deficit in the second set earlier on Tuesday to beat 26th-seeded Spanish Paula Badosa in three sets to reach the first Grand Slam semifinal of her career.
Navarro will play the winner of Tuesday night’s match between seventh-seeded Zheng Qinwen (China) and second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) in the semifinals. Sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula will face top-seeded and 2022 US Open winner Iga Świątek (Poland) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
