Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe meet in an all-American battle in the semifinals of the US Open on Friday. Regardless of the result, one of them will become the first American to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009.
This will be the first time two Americans have met in the semifinals of the US Open since Robby Ginepri and Andre Agassi met in the 2005 semifinals.
“Friday is going to be a hell of a day,” Tiafoe said.
Fritz leads their all-time series at 6-1, with Tiafoe's only win coming in Indian Wells in 2016. Despite the head-to-head numbers, it should be a hard-fought match as both play their best tennis. They also have the added incentive of breaking a 21-year drought in which no American has won a major since Roddick in 2003. An interesting twist to this showdown is that the two are good friends who have also competed as doubles partners for years.
“It’s the biggest game of mine and Taylor’s life,” Tiafoe said. “It will be great to have him playing here in the biggest arena, in one of the biggest games in the world. “I can’t be any more excited.” I will give everything I have.
Tiafoe, seeded No. 20, secured his semifinal spot after No. 9 seed Grigor Dimitrov dropped out due to an injury during their four-set battle. He didn't want to earn his ticket that way, but Tiafoe showed a strong performance and was leading 6:3, 6:7 (5:7), 6:3, 4:1 at that point.
He arrived in New York fresh off his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati, which he said gave him a lot of confidence heading into the final Grand Slam of the season. The closest he ever came to a major trophy came at the same tournament in 2022, when he gave Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz a tough fight in the semi-finals.
“Taylor was consistently in the top 10 and top 15. I myself was in the top 10 this time last year,” Tiafoe said. “And Tommy’s knocking on the door, the Quarters are playing great. Ben has arrived. It's just a matter of time. You get into positions, it's just a matter of time. The game is open. It's no longer as if you've made it once.” In the quarter-finals you play against Rafa [Nadal]and you are looking for flights.
During his post-match interview on Tuesday, Tiafoe said his strategy against Fritz will be to “go deep,” use his speed to be aggressive and improve his serve because he's comfortable with the performance against Dimitrov was not satisfied.
Tiafoe also knows how to feed on a crowd, which even Fritz noted as one of the things that makes him particularly dangerous in Flushing Meadows.
“Frances is a good player in general, but … he really enjoys playing here, and once he gets going, he plays really well,” Fritz said. “He kind of carries that momentum and the energy of the crowd, that moment.”
Chances are both Americans will get plenty of energy from the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Fritz, the highest seeded American at number 12, is also entering this semifinal game with a lot of momentum.
He had never made it to a Grand Slam semifinal before this tournament, having arrived in the major quarterfinals with a 0-4 record. However, with a, Fritz finally went one step further 6-7 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) win over No. 4 Alexander Zverev.
The win was Fritz's fourth win against a top-10 opponent at a major this season, the most by an American since Andre Agassi in 1999.
Fritz achieved the best ATP ranking of his career in February 2023 when he finished at No. 5. This calendar year, however, he went further than ever before in each of the four Grand Slams. He first reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and then the fourth round of the French Open. He reached his second Wimbledon quarterfinal in July and is now in the semifinals of the US Open.
Fritz said the key to leveling up was that he was no longer satisfied with just reaching the quarterfinals. It was already a great achievement for him to make it this far, but he was hoping for more at the US Open.
“If it's me that ends (the American drought), then that's basically like my life's dream, so it would mean everything to me,” Fritz said CBS Sports.
No. 12 Taylor Fritz's trip to the semifinals
- First round: def. Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-5, 6-1, 6-2
- Second round: def. Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 7-6(7-1), 6-1
- Third round: def. Francisco Comesana 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
- Round of 16: def. No. 8 Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
- Quarterfinals: def. No. 4 Alexander Zverev 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
No. 20 Frances Tiafoe's path to the semifinals
- First round: def. Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
- Second round: def. Alexander Shevchenko 6:4, 6:1, 1:0
- Third round: def. No. 13 Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-3
- Round of 16: def. No. 28 Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-3
- Quarterfinals: def. No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 4-1 walkover
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