By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday October 8, 2022
Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe came through in fine fashion on Saturday to set an all-American final at the Rakuten Open in Tokyo.
Photo Source: TTV
An American hasn’t won the title in Tokyo since Pete Sampras in 1996, but Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz made sure that will change on Sunday.
Both claimed three-set victories at the Rakuten Open to set their sixth career meeting, and their most important.
It fits the narrative nicely.
Both Tiafoe and Fritz have been revelations in 2022, with Fritz winning his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells (defeating Rafael Nadal in the final) and carrying the pressure of being the top American brilliantly. He also reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon, and has earned 40 wins on the season.
With his 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 victory over Denis Shapovalov on Saturday night the Southern California native assured himself of a Top-10 ranking for the first time.
"I want more, I want to go even higher, but Top-10 is a huge achievement that you always dream of - no one can ever take it away from me,” he said on court after his victory.
Tiafoe, who exchanged high-fives with his longtime friend and rival in the locker room after dispatching South Korea’s Soonwoo Kwon 6-2, 0-6, 6-4, became the first American man to reach the US Open semifinals since 2006 in September. In his first tour-level event since that giant achievement, he is playing like a man who has turned a corner.
On Saturday he nearly lost the script against Kwon, but bounced back to produce a gritty victory, despite not playing his best tennis in the second and third sets. He has stressed the importance of learning to beat players he should be beating – count 120-ranked Kwon among them – and Tiafoe is more committed than ever to do that.
Fritz and Tiafoe have met five times at the ATP level, with Tiafoe taking the first clash and Fritz reeling off the next four.
They have met twice this year, with Fritz winning in straight sets at the Australian Open, in the second round, and in three sets at Montreal, in the round of 32.
No matter who pulls out the victory on Sunday it will be a big win for American men’s tennis, and more proof that things are moving in the right direction for a young generation of talented players that is learning how to win, and win big, on tour.