By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday September 3, 2024
There will be an American man in a US Open final for the first time since 2006. Will it be Frances Tiafoe or Taylor Fritz?
Photo Source: US Open/USTA
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday September 3, 2024
New York—For the first time in 18 years, there will be an American man in a US Open final.
Frances Tiafoe battled past Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1 RET, to set the first all-American men’s singles semifinal since 2005 with American Taylor Fritz. For Dimitrov, it was a disappointing conclusion to an entertaining contest that featured plenty of twists and turns in the opening two and a half sets.
The Bulgarian suffered an undisclosed upper leg injury late in the third set, and was hobbled throughout the fourth before pulling the plug after three hours and four minutes.
He wasn’t exactly sure about the extent of his injury, but he knew that he had missed an opportunity to make another major semifinal in a wide open draw.
“So will I hurt? Yeah, for sure,” he said. “Of course. And it should. But I just don't want to just put it aside. I just want to also reassess myself and everything that I've been going through, you know, throughout this past three, four weeks and see the plus and the minuses, what can I improve, what I could have done better, what I need to do.”
For Tiafoe the moment was muted, but not without significance. Back in a US Open semifinal for the second time in three years, he is eager to continue the momentum he has built in New York over the last three years against a player that he has shared the tennis journey with since he was a junior.
Fritz, who delivered a four-set win over Alexander Zverev earlier on Tuesday in New York, is into his first Grand Slam semifinal. He has won six consecutive matches against Tiafoe, but the 26-year-old DMV (code for D.C., Maryland, Virginia) native thinks he can produce a different result this time around, in what is by far the pair’s most important match to date.
“It's different on Ashe, man,” he said, when asked to look ahead to Friday’s clash with the top-ranked American. “Playing quarters of Acapulco 500 and playing semis at Arthur Ashe at night -- well, hopefully at night -- it's a little different.”
Tiafoe has won 14 of his last 16 matches at the US Open, and he believes in his ability to produce his best tennis under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I think we have kind of always pushed each other,” he said of Fritz. “Now I think it's great that we get to compete against each other in such a big match, and I'm happy for him. I know he's happy for me.
“Let the best man win come Friday. It's going to be epic. Popcorn, do what you got to do. It's going to be a fun one come Friday.”
Tiafoe will have to serve better on Friday if he is to snap his streak against Fritz. He made only 50 percent of his first serves against Dimitrov, but still managed to hold in 16 of 17 service games.
The 26-year-old saved three of four break points and won the majority of the short points against Dimitrov.
“The only thing, serve again wasn't where I wanted to be,” he said. “Gave him a lot of second-serve looks. Just got to do better on that front. Everything else, I returned great, I moved really well tonight, and I made him earn a lot of points, which is great.”