For the first time since 2006, the United States will be represented in the finals of the U.S. Open men's singles tournament.
On Tuesday, a pair of Americans earned entries into the semifinal round. Frances Tiafoe, who made the U.S. Open semifinals in 2022, defeated Grigor Dimitrov in a walkover after Tiafoe won two of the first three sets and was up 4-1 in the fourth.
In Tuesday's other quarterfinal, Taylor Fritz toppled Alexander Zverev 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, clinching his first semifinal appearance in a grand slam.
Fritz will face Tiafoe on Friday with the winner advancing to the finals. Whoever wins Friday's match will become the first American in a U.S. Open men's final since Andy Roddick in 2006. No American man has won the U.S. Open since Roddick in 2003.
Roddick's appearance in 2006 marked the end of a run of 14 out of 17 U.S. Open men's singles finals that included at least one American. In those years, an American won eight times. Pete Sampras accounted for five of the titles, while Andre Agassi won twice. Roddick's only grand slam title came at the 2003 U.S. Open.
Tiafoe and Fritz's ascension to the semifinals comes as the tournament has been full of upsets. Two of the favorites in this year's tournament, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, were knocked out in the first week of competition.
Tiafoe and Fritz are only separated in age by three months, meaning they started competing against each other early in their careers. The two first met in an ATP Tour event in 2016 when Tiafoe defeated Fritz in three sets at the ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells. Fritz has won all six battles since.
Tiafoe noted that since the retirement of Roger Federer and with Rafael Nadal no longer the player he used to be, there are more opportunities for young Americans like himself.
"We openly speak about it," Tiafoe said about Americans making the men's final. "Taylor, I mean has been in and out of the top 10, myself was top 10 this time last year, Tommy (Paul) is knocking on the door and playing great, Ben (Shelton), so like it's only a matter of time you put yourself in positions. The game is open. It's not like it once was where you make a quarterfinal, you play Rafa and it's like you're looking for flights. Now it is totally different."
