WHAT HAPPENED: Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe made history by walking into Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first all-American Grand Slam men's singles semifinal since 2005. With his 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory on Friday night, Fritz is now one win away from an even more historic achievement: winning the first major singles title for American men's tennis since Andy Roddick's 2003 US Open crown.
"It’s the reason I do what I do, the reason why I work so hard. I’m in the final of the US Open," Fritz said through tears in his post-match interview. "It’s a dream come true and I’m going to give it everything I possibly have. I know that for a fact."
The 12th-seeded Fritz was playing in his first major semifinal after four recent Grand Slam quarterfinal defeats, while Tiafoe was contesting his second US Open semi two years after a heartbreaking, five-set defeat to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. Both 26-year-olds shined under the bright lights, delivering an Ashe evening classic that—through four thrilling sets—was reminiscent of the famous 2001 quarterfinal between U.S. legends Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.
Tiafoe's early success was built on strong serving and a relentless commitment to front-foot tennis. He won more than 80% of his first-serve points across the first four sets, but ultimately paid for a plummeting first-serve percentage that bottomed out at 39% in set four.
"[Tiafoe] was overwhelming from the baseline so much, taking the ball so early, changing lines so well," Fritz said after the 3-hour, 18-minute match. "I just told myself to try to stay in it, fight to hold my serve and apply scoreboard pressure as much as possible."
The fan favorite was two games away from his maiden major final as the drama began to peak at 4-4 in the fourth. Fritz began that game by winning a 17-ball rally—after ripping a forehand winner to take an epic 31-ball exchange in his previous service game—and rattled off a confident hold to put the pressure back on his compatriot. Up 40-15 at 5-4, Tiafoe tossed in two double faults and two unforced errors to hand the set to Fritz. The No. 1 American man never let him recover.
In a tight opening set, Tiafoe roared back from an early 3-0 hole by winning five straight games. It was not until the 20th seed served out the opening set to love that either man won a game without surrendering at least two points.
Set two was a stark contrast, with both Americans easily holding until Tiafoe served to stay in the set at 5-4. A big serve helped him escape that game, but Fritz responded by winning eight points in a row to level the match, hitting six winners in that torrid stretch, including a deft backhand volley on his second set point.
Fritz won 26 consecutive points on serve in the second, losing just one point on his own deal early in the frame, but found himself down an immediate break in the third as Tiafoe attacked with renewed energy. That early advantage held up, with Tiafoe's only real scare coming in a 0-30 escape to close the set.
"I felt I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I was just getting overwhelmed," Fritz added. "I was freaking out a little bit and [coach Michael Russell] told me to keep doing what I was doing, accept it was OK and keep making him do it. That helped to calm me down and let me know I was doing the right thing."
Tiafoe survived a 44% first-serve percentage in the third set, but was made to pay for his sub-40% make rate in set four. Again feasting on a buffet of second serves in the final set, a free-swinging Fritz raced to a 4-0 lead. A loose service game from Fritz gave Tiafoe faint hope, but any dreams of a dramatic comeback were quickly dashed when Fritz rattled off eight straight points to clinch victory. He sealed the deal with an ace, his 11th of the match.
WHAT IT MEANS: Fritz is the first American men's singles finalist at a major since Andy Roddick reached the 2009 Wimbledon final, and the first at the US Open since Roddick in 2006. He now has a golden opportunity, it bears repeating, to become the first U.S. man to claim a Slam singles crown since Roddick did it here in his trucker hat 21 years ago.
The 12th American man to reach the US Open final in the Open Era, Fritz will face Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in Sunday's championship match. Fritz has split two previous meetings with the reigning Australian Open champ, both in Indian Wells.
Fritz now has 17 Grand Slam singles wins this season, with quarterfinal runs at the Aussie Open and Wimbledon. That mark ties him for fourth most in a calendar year among American men this century, behind Agassi's 20 in 2001, Agassi's 19 in 2003, and Sampras' 18 in 2000—and level with Roddick's 17 in 2003.
MATCH POINT: Fritz's status at the No. 1 American man was under threat from Tiafoe until Friday's result. By reaching his first major final, Fritz has guaranteed himself a return to the ATP's Top 10 next week. If he beats Sinner for the title he will rise to world No. 6, one spot off his career high achieved in February 2023.
