Day 12 of the 2024 US Open finds four of the best in men’s tennis still standing, as each continues his quest to stand alone. One of today’s semifinals pits top seed Jannik Sinner against surprise semifinalist Jack Draper; the other is an all-American affair featuring 12th-seeded Taylor Fritz against the No. 20 seed, Frances Tiafoe. Two matches removed from tennis’ toughest title, each of today’s competitors will be breaking out his Friday finest—all determined to push on toward Sunday afternoon. To get there, each will need to be semi-tough.
Men’s No. 1 Sinner is appearing in his third Slam semifinal this season, having reached this same point at both Roland Garros and the Aussie Open, capturing his first career major singles crown in Melbourne in January. The 23-year-old Italian is just the third man from his country to play his way into the US Open semifinals in the Open Era, joining Corrado Barazzutti (1977) and Matteo Berrettini (2019) in reaching the Open’s penultimate round. What’s more, Sinner is now just the fourth active male player to reach all four Slam semifinals in his career. His five singles titles and 33 hard-court match wins this year is best among men, and he’s played an impressively aggressive game in his advance here, combining a lethal ground assault with an increasingly fearless net game. In knocking out 2021 US Open champ Daniil Medvedev in the quarters, Sinner won 28 of 33 net points. He gets in your head by being constantly in your face.
The task of trying to slow Sinner’s roll today falls upon Draper, the 22-year-old Brit who has turned this Flushing fortnight into something of a personal coming-out party, showcasing a tireless and gritty game that has taken him deeper in a Slam than he’d ever before been. Prior to this year’s run, Draper’s best major performance was a fourth-round finish in Flushing in 2023. He captured his first career singles title this summer at the grass-court Stuttgart event, taking out Tiafoe in the quarters there along the way. He is the first British man to reach the US Open semifinals since Andy Murray's run to the title here in 2012. Most impressive, Draper is the only one of the four semifinalists to have reached this point without dropping a set.
A part-time model, Draper has been the picture of perfection here, logging just 9 hours, 14 minutes of court time through five matches—by far the least of any of his fellow semifinalists. He's won a staggering 81% of first-serve points in his advance and converted on 29 of 57 break-point opportunities while only losing his serve three times. Draper entered the Open ranked No. 25, but his performance here so far already has guaranteed him a spot inside the men's Top 20.
Draper defeated Sinner in their only previous meeting, a first-round, grass-court clash at London’s Queen’s Club in 2021. But halting Sinner’s advance at this point, at this time, seems too large a task, even for this obviously growing talent. In a tight three, the top seed is on to the final.
Fritz, the top-ranked American at No. 12, is another who’s making his furthest foray into the Flushing fortnight, achieving his best-ever performance at a major by raising his game to an ethereal level at just the right time. In reaching his first Slam semi, the 26-year-old American has planted a couple of pretty large seeds, including 2022 US Open finalist and No. 8 seed Casper Ruud in the fourth round and fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev—runner-up here in 2020—in the quarters. Fritz has advanced with an impressive trifecta—serving big, returning tremendously, and showcasing a penetrating ground game that has kept even the most aggressive opponents on their respective heels. Against Zverev, the American won an stellar 81% of his first-serve points and 19 of his 21 service games. Through five matches, he’s won 77 of 82 service games.
Tiafoe, a semifinalist here in 2022, has toughed his way into a second career Slam semi by simply refusing to lose. He’s been pushed in each of his matches to this point, but as the best all do, he’s pushed back successfully, overcoming every challenge with a gritty, grinding power play that is overwhelming in its relentlessness. Although two of his five matches have ended in opponent’s retirements, Tiafoe has nonetheless so far logged 15 hours and 1 minute in combined court time—the most of any of today’s semifinalists and nearly a full three hours more than Fritz. That said, fatigue is not likely to be a factor here, as Tiafoe always seems particularly energized by the bright lights of Ashe, and will no doubt bring his trademark brand of fierceness and ferocity into this clash with his countryman.
Fritz owns a sizeable 6-1 edge in career meetings with his friend and compatriot, rattling off six wins in a row after losing their inaugural meeting in the first round of the 2016 Indian Wells event. Their only meeting in a major was in the second round at the 2022 Aussie Open and their last encounter was in the quarters of last year’s Acapulco event.
This figures as a memorable meeting of two remarkable men, a pair of American stars who’ve earned their stripes as stalwart representatives of their sport and country. History will happen tonight, as one of these men will become the first American man to reach a US Open final since Andy Roddick in 2006, with a shot at being the first from this country to finish first in Flushing since Roddick in 2003. Buckle up; we’re in for a wild ride. In a furious four, Fritz is a US Open finalist.
