by Thanks to the combined efforts of Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz, an American will appear in the final of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2009.
Tiafoe and Fritz both took care of business on Tuesday, with the former beating No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov and the latter toppling No. 4 Alexander Zverev. Their victories resulted in an all-American semifinal and the first time since 2005 that two Americans will compete in the semifinal at Flushing Meadows.
No American has appeared in a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick’s epic defeat to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.
Frances Tiafoe stays hot against Grigor Dimitrov
Playing the final match of the evening, Tiafoe spent most of the evening with a clear advantage over the veteran Dimitrov, aside from some sloppy tennis to end the second set. He won 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 4-1, with Dimitrov withdrawing due to a hamstring injury.
The big problem 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 powerful player, delighted in.
Dimitrov’s condition worsened as the match progressed. He sought medical attention after the third set and eventually gave up with Tiafoe with a break in the fourth.
This will be Tiafoe’s second trip to the Grand Slam semifinals after arriving at the US Open in 2022. He will need to beat a good friend and former doubles partner to reach the final.
Taylor Fritz deserved his surprise against Alexander Zverev
Fritz won a tiebreak in the first set, then rebounded from a second-set loss for a 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory in the second quarter final of the day. .
Fritz’s victory over Zverev was closely contested from the start, with neither player conceding a break in the first set. Fritz had a break chance for the set, but Zverev held off three break points to tie the set 6-6. Fritz won the tiebreak, paving the way for a surprise victory.
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 exchanged breaks in the third set before Fritz won the set on Zverev’s serve. As in the first set, Zverev rallied after a triple set to tie the tiebreak. But Fritz won on his fifth set point to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The players then exchanged breaks again in the fourth to set up another tiebreak. This time, Fritz won 7-3 to win the set and the match.
“I’ve had a look at the quarterfinals the last two years,” Fritz told ESPN after the match. “Today was different. I really felt like it was time for me to go further.”
Fritz reaches a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time in his career. No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner is the favorite to advance to the other half of the draw.
On the women’s side, No. 13 seed Emma Navarro recovered from a 5-1 second-set deficit earlier Tuesday to win in straight sets against No. 26 seed Paula Badosa, also qualifying for the first Grand Slam semi-final of his career.
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 Jessica Pegula will face No. 1 seed and 2022 US Open champion Iga Świątek (Poland) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
