by Thanks to the combined efforts of Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz, an American will be in a Grand Slam final for the first time since 2009.
Tiafoe and Fritz both proved themselves Tuesday, with the former beating No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov and the latter beating No. 4 Alexander Zverev. Their victories set the stage for an all-American semifinal and the first time since 2005 that two Americans will play in a semifinal at Flushing Meadows.
No American has appeared in a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick’s epic loss to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.
Frances Tiafoe stays in form against Grigor Dimitrov
In the final match of the night, Tiafoe spent most of the evening with a clear advantage over the veteran Dimitrov, aside from some sloppy tennis late in the second set. He won 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 4-1, with Dimitrov retiring with a hamstring injury.
Dimitrov’s biggest problem was his anemic second serve. He dropped 37 of 59 points and double-faulted 11 times with a predictable offering that Tiafoe, a power player, feasted on.
Dimitrov’s condition deteriorated as the match progressed. He sought medical attention after the third set and eventually retired with Tiafoe leading by a break in the fourth set.
This will be Tiafoe’s second time in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament, having previously reached the US Open in 2022. He will need to beat a good friend and former doubles partner to reach the final.
Taylor Fritz managed to surprise Alexander Zverev
Fritz won a tiebreak in the first set, then recovered from a second-set loss for a 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory in the second quarterfinal of the day.
Fritz’s win over Zverev was a close one from the start, with neither player conceding a break in the first set. Fritz had a chance to break for the set, but Zverev held on after three break points to level the set 6-6. Fritz won the tiebreak, setting the stage for a surprise victory.
Zverev responded with the first break of the match to take a 5-3 lead in the second set, 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 rallied after wasting three set points to level the tiebreak. But Fritz won on his fifth set point to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The players then traded breaks in the fourth round to find themselves in a tie-break position again. This time, Fritz prevailed 7-3 to take the set and the match.
“I’ve watched the quarterfinals the last two years,” Fritz told ESPN after the match. “Today was different. I really felt like it was my turn to take the next step.”
Fritz reaches the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. Jannik Sinner, the number one seed, is the favourite to move to the other side of the draw.
On the women’s side, No. 13 seed Emma Navarro rallied from a 5-1 second-set deficit earlier Tuesday to beat No. 26 seed Paula Badosa in three sets, also advancing to her first career Grand Slam semifinal.
Navarro will face 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 seed Jessica Pegula will face No. 1 seed and 2022 US Open champion Iga Świątek (Poland) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
