When Taylor Fritz, 26, of California, and Frances Tiafoe, 26, of Maryland, ran for the first time under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night. US Open With two American men in the semifinal match in 19 years, the crowd could have been forgiven for not knowing who to support.
There a Right burst of applause Before the starting point, a curtain-raiser suitable for the show. Once the competition got going, perhaps a momentum shift made it difficult to choose between a pair of close friends who knew each other from playing in a tournament for under-14s.
In the end, the roars belonged to Fritz, who topped a fading Tiafoe with a six-game run 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Grand Slam Finals.
“He’s the reason I do what I do,” Fritz told fans, his voice cracking during a post-match interview. “That’s why I work so hard.”
It was No. 12-seeded Fritz’s seventh win in eight professional meetings against No. 20 Tiafone over the No. 1 seed. Jannik sinner for the championship on Sunday.
“He was so overwhelming from the baseline … and I just tried to tell myself to stay in it and fight,” said Fritz, who was two games from losing in the fourth set. “I told myself if I didn’t give it everything I had — just to stick with it and see if it could drop a little bit — I’d 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. Fritz will become if he overtakes Sinner. He is the first American player to win any Slam trophy since Roddick won the Slam trophy at the US Open 21 years ago.
“It’s a dream come true. I am in the final. So I’m going to come out and give everything I can give,” Fritz said. “I can’t wait.”
At 4-all in the fourth set, he took control. Tiafoe’s mind and legs betrayed him, as he was drawn, at least in part, by what he had said was the finish line was near and he was going to play for the title.
“I felt like my body shut down on me,” said Tiafoe, who fell 7-14 in the five-setter. “I got ahead of myself.”
After his double-fault gave him a break to make it 4-0 in the fifth, more than three hours into proceedings, Tiafoe flicked his racket. Fritz repaid the favor by double-faulting to end the next game, but he broke immediately and it was soon over. They met on the net for a hug.
“Sometimes,” Tiafoe said, “it’s not meant to be.”
Papi, A The 23-year-old from Italy is innocent in the doping case Less than three weeks ago, Friday’s 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over No. 25 Jack Draper featured a 1 1/2-hour treatment by trainers of both competitors. Another set.
“It was a very physical match, as we see it,” said Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January. “I just tried to be there mentally.”
He massaged his left wrist after falling during the point he managed to win; Draper needed medical attention after vomiting twice in a game with temperatures in the 70s and humidity over 60%. During that break in the action, a vacuum was used to clear the ground behind the baseline and to complete the cleanup, Draper, 22, from Britain, tried to do it himself by wiping up his, um, mess with a towel.
Tiafoe Vs. In Fritz there was no drama so far from real drama.
“Finally,” Tiafoe said, “it was a great night, two Americans fighting.”
The respective guest boxes reflected the contrasting personalities of the players. An excited Tiafoe would mark the key moment by shaking a raised fist or gritting her teeth or shaking her head while hanging on the sideline, and her entourage — including coach David Witt, who worked with Venus Williams for many years, as well as Jessica Pegula, the American in US Open Women’s Final Against Arya Sabalenka on Saturday — stood up and roared, point after point.
The group in the more mild-mannered Fritz’s corner was more selective in its celebrations.
Fritz had never advanced past the quarter-finals of one of his sport’s four most prestigious events, but the tour included a combined six Slam runner-up performances for all three players: Casper Rudd, Alexander Zverev and Matteo Barrettini.
Fritz got off to a good start on Friday, delivering a smacking 135 mph serve, before Tiafoe rallied and reeled off five consecutive games. In the next set, Fritz was near perfect, winning 24 of 25 service points and going 8 for 8 at the net. Tiafoe quickly regrouped, breaking to start the third, which was enough for the set, as he never allowed Fritz so much as a break chance.
Tiafoe lost steam after losing a certain 31-stroke point – the longest of the match, he called it “definitely an intense rally” – midway through the fourth, then double-faulted twice and dropped the last game of the set. Drop shot.
“This is going to hurt really, really bad,” Tiafoe said.
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