NEW YORK (AP) — According to Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz predicted such a moment for the two.

And for American men’s tennis.

It was during an early morning flight together a few years ago that the conversation turned to the future and possibilities, Tiafoe said, after agreeing a U.S. Open semifinal against Fritz, another 26-year-old American, on Friday, guaranteeing the United States a man in a Grand Slam title match for the first time since Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.

“He’s a pretty low-key guy and he’s like, ‘Buddy, I think you and I are going to be number one Americans and lead the way.’ … I was like, ‘Damn, dude, (it’s) 6 a.m., I’m pretty tired, but let’s do it.’ Why not? He kind of has that attitude and he pushed me a lot, you know what I mean?” Tiafoe, who is from Maryland, said of the conversation with his longtime buddy Fritz, a Californian.

“Sometimes I play really bad or whatever and he does it, or vice versa. I think we’ve always kind of pushed each other,” said Tiafoe, who has known Fritz since they competed in under-14 tournaments over a decade ago. “Now I think it’s great that we get to play against each other in such a big match and I’m happy for him. I know he’s happy for me.”

Something like this has seemed to be on the horizon for the American men for some time, thanks to a generation that includes Tommy Paul, 20th seed Tiafoe and 12th seed Fritz, as well as two younger players also in their 20s, Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda. All five are ranked in the ATP top 20.

There are also five Americans in the WTA top 20, including Emma Navarro, who reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows with a win after beating 2023 champion Coco Gauff on Tuesday, and Jessica Pegula, who was scheduled to face Poland’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals on Wednesday evening.

Not since 1996 has it been the case in the United States that five women and five men have achieved such a high ranking at the same time.

“This is great for American tennis,” said Navarro, a 23-year-old who was born in New York, grew up in South Carolina and won an NCAA title for the University of Virginia as a freshman in 2021. “Of course, I want me and my fellow Americans to go as far as possible in the tournament.”

This country produced the Williams sisters and their combined 30 Grand Slam singles titles, other stars such as Chris Evert and Billie Jean King, and more recent major winners and runners-up such as Gauff, Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin, Madison Keys and Danielle Collins. The country’s men went from the great tradition of players such as Don Budge and Bill Tilden back in the day to multiple Grand Slam champions such as Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe – but the last men’s major winner was famously Roddick at the 2003 US Open, making the current drought for the group by far the longest in history.

“The benchmark will always be a Grand Slam winner,” says Martin Blackman, head of the US Tennis Association’s player development program since 2015. “That will always be the benchmark for American tennis.”

But it had been a while since the men had even gotten close to each other.

When Tiafoe reached the semifinals in New York two years ago, defeating 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, it was the first time a male semifinalist at the US Open had come from the host country since Roddick in 2006. Roddick reached the final then, but lost to – guess what – Federer.

At the next major after Tiafoe’s breakthrough, the 2023 Australian Open, Paul made it to the semifinals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. And at last year’s US Open, Shelton was a semifinalist, eliminating Tiafoe in the quarterfinals but then losing to Djokovic.

“I’ve always been really happy for my friends when they’ve been successful,” said Fritz, who was 0-4 down in the Grand Slam quarterfinals before beating two-time major runner-up Alexander Zverev in four sets on Tuesday. “And if anything, it’s always given me the confidence that I can do it too.”

He was eliminated twice in the quarterfinals against Djokovic and once against Nadal.

With 43-year-old Federer retiring, 38-year-old Nadal playing sporadically (and not in New York) after hip surgery and other injuries, and 37-year-old Djokovic entering his first season since 2017 without at least one Grand Slam trophy, there are more opportunities for new faces.

“We’ve talked about it for years: ‘This is the group. This is the group.’ We’re talking about it openly. We’ve all been knocking on the door,” Tiafoe said. “You put yourself in positions, it’s just a matter of time. And the game is open. It’s not like it used to be, where you get to the quarterfinals, play against Rafa and look at flights.”

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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis