No American man has won a grand slam singles title since Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003. Taylor Fritz has the chance to end that drought.
Fritz on Friday came back from a two-sets-to-one deficit to defeat fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the US Open final.
In Sunday’s championship match, Fritz, the No. 12 seed, will face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who advanced to his first US Open final after defeating Brit Jack Draper 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2.
This was Fritz’s first career grand slam semifinal appearance, while Tiafoe, the No. 20 seed, had first reached this stage at the US Open in 2022.
“It’s the reason why I do what I do,” an emotional Fritz said. “It’s the reason why I work so hard. I mean, I’m in the finals of the US Open.”
Roddick, on hand at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday, had been the last American man to reach a grand slam singles final, at Wimbledon in 2009. He was the last American man to reach the US Open final, in 2006.
The 23-year-old Sinner, on a 10-match win streak, seeks his second career grand slam title, having won the Australian Open in January. He is the first Italian man to reach the US Open championship singles match in tournament history.
In their head-to-head matchups, Sinner is 1-1 against the 26-year-old Fritz.
“I’m going to come out, and I’m going to give everything I possibly have, and I know that for a fact,” Fritz said. “I’m going to give it everything I can possibly give it, so I can’t wait.”
Fritz is now 7-1 against Tiafoe.
“Really, really tough to swallow,” Tiafoe said. “This one’s going to hurt really, really bad. … I think nerves got the better of me tonight.”
This was the first all-American men’s singles semifinal at a grand slam since Andre Agassi beat Robby Ginepri at the 2005 US Open.
Fritz, a California native, comes from a tennis family. He is the son of Kathy May Fritz, a former WTA Tour player who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 10 in 1977. His father, Guy Fritz, reached a career-best rank of 301 and is a tennis coach.
Fritz told reporters why he’s confident he can beat Sinner in the final.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing him,” Fritz said. “To be honest, I don’t think that I’m going to be put in a more stressful situation than I was today (against compatriot Tiafoe) than playing in a final. I think today was much more stressful than me playing the final. I just feel good.
“I have a feeling I’m going to come out and play really well and win. When I play good tennis, I think that level is good enough to win.”
Sinner tops Draper in drama-filled semifinal
On a humid day in New York, the semifinal between Sinner and Draper, which lasted just over three hours despite it being just three sets, tested both players physically.
While it was his first grand slam semifinal of his career, the lefty Draper played Sinner tough. The first set lasted almost an hour.
The second set was even more grueling, at just short of 90 minutes. Draper vomited multiple times. Sinner, meanwhile, had a potential injury scare in the middle of what was the most electrifying point of the match at 4-4, 15-40.
Sinner, who was at the net after returning a Draper volley, needed to sprint diagonally across the court and back to the baseline to chase down Draper’s follow-up shot.
The 6-foot-3 Italian, showing his incredible movement and reach, was able to hit a lob to keep the point alive. But while subsequently sliding on the court to change his momentum, Sinner stumbled near the wall – and on to his left wrist while trying to break his fall. Sinner, who is right-handed, was able to get up and handle a Draper overhead, putting a forehand winner past the Brit – and then grabbed at the wrist and leaned over.
Following that game, both players received treatment by separate physios. For the rest of the match, Sinner did not outwardly show any signs of the wrist being an issue. He later told reporters the physio “loosened it up very fast” after getting the on-court treatment and that the issue “went away by playing.”
“Let’s see how it is tomorrow when it’s cold,” Sinner said. “It’s going to be a different feeling. Hopefully it’s nothing to concern about.”
Once Sinner broke Draper for a 4-2 lead in the third set, the Brit leaned over, looking spent.
The 22-year-old Draper, the first British man in a US Open singles semifinal since Andy Murray won the title in 2012, had not dropped a set on his way to the semifinals.
“I think it was obviously a very physical match,” Draper told reporters when asked about the nausea he experienced. “Obviously that’s why Jannik is No. 1 player in the world, because when you play the top players, the intensity is different. You know, it’s a step up.
“I think obviously it’s a big occasion for me. I definitely felt, even though I generally feel pretty relaxed and stuff, I definitely felt more excited today, a few more nerves around. I’m definitely someone who is, I think, quite an anxious human being. I think when you add all that together sometimes I do feel a bit nausea on court, and I do feel a little bit sick when it gets tough.
“Yeah, I didn’t have any problems before the match, but it obviously just built up.”
Sinner’s run comes against the backdrop of his recent doping case that became public knowledge on August 20 – news that shocked the tennis world. Sinner, who avoided suspension after twice testing positive for trace amounts of a banned substance, has said he hasn’t done anything wrong.
“I’m just happy to be in the final here,” Sinner said. “Whoever it is (against), it’s going to be a very tough challenge for me, but I’m just looking forward to it. The season I’m going through, it’s very, very positive. … We just try to keep pushing, and then we’ll see what I can do Sunday.”
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