American Taylor Fritz reacts after defeating Frances Tiafoe in the men’s singles semifinals of the US Open in New York on Friday.
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NEW YORK — When Taylor Fritz, a 26-year-old from California, and Frances Tiafoe, a 26-year-old from Maryland, walked under the floodlights of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night for the first U.S. Open semifinal between two Americans in 19 years, the crowd would have been forgiven for not knowing who to support.
There was loud applause just before the starting gun, a prelude worthy of the show to come. Once the competition got underway, the shifting momentum may have made it difficult to choose between two close friends who have known each other since playing under-14 tournaments.
In the end, the celebrations went to Fritz, who prevailed in a six-game series against the weakening Tiafoe with 4:6, 7:5, 4:6, 6:4 and 6:1 and reached his first Grand Slam final.
“That’s why I do what I do,” Fritz told fans in a post-game interview, his voice breaking. “That’s why I work so hard.”
The seventh victory of the number 12 seed Fritz in the eighth professional duel against number 20 Tiafoe gave him a showdown for the championship against number 1 Jannik Sinner on Sunday.
“He was so overwhelming from the baseline … and I just told myself that I had to hang on and fight,” said Fritz, who was two games away from losing in the fourth set. “I told myself that if I didn’t give it my all – just hang on and see if his level maybe dropped a little – then I would regret it for a long time.”
He will be the first American to reach a major final since Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009 – and the first in New York since Roddick lost to Federer there in 2006. If he can beat Sinner, Fritz would be the first American to win a Grand Slam trophy since Roddick won it at the US Open 21 years ago.
“A dream has come true. I’m in the final. So I’m going to go out there and give everything I can,” said Fritz. “I can’t wait.”
He took control from 4-4 in the fourth set. Tiafoe’s mind and legs failed him as he began to cramp, at least in part because, he said, he was nervous, thinking the finish line was near and he was playing for the title.
American Frances Tiafoe waves to her fans after being defeated by Taylor Fritz in the men’s singles semifinals of the US Open in New York on Friday.
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“I felt like my body had let me down,” said Tiafoe, who fell behind 7-14 in five sets. “I was too hasty.”
After a double fault in the fifth set allowed a break to make it 4-0, Tiafoe threw away his racket after more than three hours of play. Fritz retaliated with a double fault, ending the next game, but broke again immediately and it was soon over. They met at the net for an embrace.
“Sometimes,” Tiafoe said, “it just wasn’t meant to be.”
Sinner, a 23-year-old Italian who was acquitted in a doping case less than three weeks ago, completed a 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over No. 25 Jack Draper on Friday, with both competitors receiving simultaneous treatment from trainers toward the end of the hour-and-a-half-long second set.
“It was a very physical match, as we can see,” said Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January. “I just tried to stay there mentally.”
His left wrist was massaged after he fell during a point he could have won; Draper required medical attention after vomiting twice in a match in temperatures of around 25 degrees and humidity of over 60%. During that stoppage of play, a vacuum cleaner was used to clean the floor behind the baseline, finishing the cleanup job that Draper, a 22-year-old Brit, attempted to do himself by wiping off his, er, mess with a towel.
Aside from the actual game, there was no such drama in Tiafoe’s match against Fritz.
“In the end,” Tiafoe said, “it was a great night to see two Americans compete against each other.”
The respective guest boxes seemed to reflect the players’ different personalities. An excited Tiafoe would mark a key moment by shaking a raised fist, gritting his teeth, waving his racket or nodding as he strutted toward the sideline, and his entourage – including coach David Witt, who worked with Venus Williams for many years, and Jessica Pegula, the American who faced Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open women’s final on Saturday – would stand and shout, point after point after point.
The group in the gentler Fritz corner was more selective in their celebrations.
Fritz had never made it past the quarterfinals of any of the sport’s four most prestigious tournaments, but along the way he was able to defeat a trio of players who between them finished runner-up six times at Grand Slam tournaments: Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini.
Fritz started well on Friday, hitting serves as fast as 217 km/h before Tiafoe rallied to win five games in a row. In the next set, Fritz was almost perfect, winning 24 of 25 service points and hitting 8 of 8 at the net. Tiafoe quickly rallied and managed a break early in the third set, which proved to be enough to take the set as he didn’t allow Fritz even a single break chance.
Tiafoe appeared to run out of steam after losing a 31-stroke point midway through the fourth set – the longest of the match, which he called “definitely an intense recovery.” He then dropped the final game of the set, hitting two double faults and hitting a drop shot.
“This is going to hurt really, really badly,” Tiafoe said.
