Sept. 4 (UPI) – Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will compete for the right to become the first American woman since 2009 to play in the men’s singles final of a Grand Slam when they meet in the semifinals in Flushing, NY on Friday.
“I think we were all knocking on the door,” Tiafoe told reporters Tuesday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. “Taylor was in the top 10, out of it. … It was just a matter of time. When you put yourself in position, it’s just a matter of time.”
The Americans secured their place in the semifinals of the 2024 US Open with their respective quarterfinal victories on Tuesday. Andy Roddick, a member of the Tennis Hall of Fame, was the last American to reach a Grand Slam final (Wimbledon 2009).
“It’s the first time since 2009 and hopefully it’ll be me (in the final),” Tiafoe said.
Roddick was also the last American to reach the final of the US Open (2006) and the last to win a Grand Slam (2003 at the US Open). Fritz and Tiafoe will meet in the All-American semifinals in Flushing on Friday night. The match will be broadcast on ESPN.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun and just electrifying,” said Fritz. “It’s going to be great for the fans to have the guarantee that one of us will make it to the final.”
Fritz, seeded 12, defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev (seeded 4) 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) to secure first place in the men’s singles semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday. Zverev had a 14-12 lead in aces, 52-45 in winners and 42-48 in unforced errors.
He also converted 2 of 4 break points. Fritz earned 13 break points against Zverev and converted two of them. He relied on his strong serve throughout the match but had to change his stroke to keep his German opponent off balance.
Fritz relied on his aggressive forehand and won 81% of the points with his first serve in the match, which lasted 3 hours and 26 minutes.
Tiafoe, ranked number 20 in the world, then defeated Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (number 9) 6-3, 6(5)-7, 6-3 and 4-1. Dimitrov had to retire in the fourth set of this match due to a groin injury.
Tiafoe converted 6 of 14 break points and recorded 26 winners and 37 unforced errors. Dimitrov converted 1 of 4 break points and recorded 38 winners and 51 unforced errors in the loss that lasted 3 hours and 4 minutes.
Fritz has a career record of 6-1 against Tiafoe and is the clear favorite to extend that record. Tiafoe’s only win came in 2016 at Indian Wells. Fritz last beat Tiafoe in 2023 in Acapulco.
“It’s cool to be in the semifinals, but I feel the work is not done yet,” said Fritz. “I’m continuing to take it one game at a time, like I’ve done throughout the tournament.”
The winner of the Fritz-Tiafoe match could face a top-five player in the final, as No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy and No. 5 Daniil Medvedev meet in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night. No. 10 Alex de Minaur of Australia faces No. 25 Jack Draper of Great Britain in another men’s singles quarterfinal at 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The winner of the Draper-de Minaur match will face Sinner or Medvedev in the other men’s semifinal.
