By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday September 7, 2024
Taylor Fritz won a wild five-set encounter with Frances Tiafoe to become the first American man in a Grand Slam final in 15 years.
Photo Source: USTA/ USOpen
New York—Frances Tiafoe did everything to put himself in a winning position during Friday night’s US Open semifinal.
Taylor Fritz did everything in his power to stay alive.
Staying alive was a cue to thrive for the Southern California native, who took advantage of some generosity from his good friend to turn the corner and sprint to a 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory and reach his maiden Grand Slam final.
Fritz the first American man to reach a Grand Slam final in 15 years, will face Jannik Sinner for the title on Sunday in Flushing Meadows.
It was a guts to glory moment for Fritz, who admitted that he was overwhelmed with Tiafoe’s high level for the better part of four sets as he did his best to stay within striking distance.
“It was a crazy match,” said Fritz after becoming the first American man to reach a Grand Slam final since 2009, and the first American man to reach a US Open final since 2006. “I think a lot of it was just about handling the moment and the pressure. He was playing at a very high level, I felt like, in the third and fourth sets.
“It was really about just staying in it and kind of just withstanding how much pressure he was putting on me.”
To be fair, Fritz was never out of the match, and that is credit to his explosive game, which produced 16 aces and 42 winners on the night. But it was his fortitude that paved the way to victory, more than anything else.
The American earned his seventh consecutive win over Tiafoe, not because he was better than his compatriot, he won because he had the wherewithal to wait for his chances and the poise to take them when they came.
A 31-stroke rally at three-all in the fourth set was a turning point. With Fritz tailing two sets to one and just three games from defeat, it was an exchange that left Fritz gasping for air, but it also sent a message to Tiafoe.
“I had to stay with him in some of those really long, crazy rallies, because I wanted to show him that I wasn't going to go away, that I was feeling fit and I was going to keep running for everything and fighting for every point,” he said. “You know, I think that itself made a big difference for me.”
Soon, a triumph in the making would devolve into heartbreak for Tiafoe. He led 4-5, 40-15, but tossed in two double faults to help Fritz to deuce in the fourth set. A shanked forehand error followed by a botched volley gave Fritz the set, and Tiafoe would never recover.
The final set went quickly, and fans started to trickle out of the Stadium when Fritz secured a 4-0 double-break lead. Tiafoe got one break back but would give it up in the next game.
Fritz closed his biggest triumph in the next game, reaching his first major final in his 33rd Grand Slam appearance.
“It's really, really tough. Really, really tough to swallow. This one's gonna hurt really, really bad,” Tiafoe told the press. “I mean, I thought I was the better player for sure tonight. In the fourth, I don't know, just had some in-and-out cramps. I just felt like my body just kind of shut down on me.”
Tiafoe says that the anxiety of the moment led to his mental and physical difficulties.
“I think nerves got the better of me tonight,” he said. “Kind of just went down, just kind of like a similar thing with Alcaraz and Novak that year at the French. Kind of seems like the same thing. Couldn't really move.
“Got to tip your hat to Taylor. He stayed with it, he competed, he deserved it tonight. All the best to him in the final.”
There are two sides to every coin, and on Friday night that was painfully true for Tiafoe. For Fritz, it was sweet relief. He followed the age-old adage, and refused to quit. In the end, it was the reason he was able to come away with the biggest win for American men’s tennis in a decade and a half.