Between the combined efforts of Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz, an American man will compete in the final of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2009.
Tiafoe and Fritz both took care of business Tuesday, with the former defeating No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov and the latter upending No. 4 Alexander Zverev. Their wins set up an All-American semifinal, and the first time two American men will appear in the semifinal at Flushing Meadows since 2005.
No American man has competed in a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick’s epic loss to Roger Federer in 2009 Wimbledon.
Frances Tiafoe stays hot against Grigor Dimitrov
Playing the final match of the night, Tiafoe spent more of the night with a clear advantage over the veteran Dimitrov, outside of some sloppy tennis to end the second set. He won 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 4-1, with Dimitrov retiring with a hamstring injury.
The big issue for Dimitrov was an anemic second serve. He lost 37-of-59 points and committed 11 double faults with a predictable offering that Tiafoe, a power player, feasted upon.
Dimitrov’s condition worsened as the match went on. He requested medical attention after the third set and ultimately retired with Tiafoe up a break in the fourth.
It will be Tiafoe’s second trip to a Grand Slam semifinal after getting there at the US Open in 2022. However, he will have to beat a good friend and past doubles partner to reach the final.
Taylor Fritz earned his upset of Alexander Zverev
Fritz won a tiebreak in the first set, then bounced back from a second-set loss for a 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) win in the second quarterfinal match of the day.
Fritz’s win over Zverev was tightly contested from the start as neither player yielded a break in the first set. Fritz had a chance to break for the set, but Zverev battled back from three break points to tie the set at 6-6. Fritz won the tiebreak, setting the stage for the upset win.
Zverev responded with the first break of the match to take a 5-3 lead in the second, then won the set on his serve. The players traded breaks in the third set before Fritz secured the set on Zverev’s serve. Like the first set, Zverev rallied from triple set point to tie the decisive 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 to set up another tiebreak. This time, Fritz prevailed again, 7-3, to win the set and the match.
“I’ve had a look at quarterfinals over the last couple of years,” Fritz told ESPN after the match. “Today just felt different. I really felt like it was my time to take it a step further.”
Fritz advances to a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time in his career. He’ll take on the winner of Tuesday’s primetime match between No. 20 seed Tiafoe and No. 9 seed Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria). If Tiafoe wins, an American will be guaranteed a spot in the final. No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner is the favorite to advance from the other half of the bracket.
On the women’s side, No. 13 seed Emma Navarro rallied from a 5-1 second-set deficit earlier Tuesday for a straight-sets win over Spanish No. 26 seed Paula Badosa, also advancing to the first Grand Slam semifinal of her career.
Navarro will play the winner of Tuesday night’s match between No. 7 seed Zheng Qinwen (China) and No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) in the semifinals. No. 6 Jessica Pegula will face No. 1 seed and 2022 US Open champion Iga Świątek (Poland) on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
